Politics

Marion Barry’s Son to Run for Late Father’s DC Council Seat

Published

10 years ago

January 6, 2015

In this March 19, 2014 file photo, Christopher Barry, the son of the late former mayor and DC City Council member Marion Barry, speaks in Washington. The only son of Barry is seeking his late father’s seat on the D.C. Council. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The only son of Marion Barry, a onetime popular mayor of the nation’s capital who died last year, is seeking his late father’s seat on the D.C. Council.

Marion Christopher Barry, 34, picked up nominating petitions Monday at the District of Columbia Board of Elections. His father died last November at age 78.

The son becomes one of 23 candidates bidding to make the ballot for an April special election for the council seat.

The elder Barry represented Ward 8, the poorest section of the nation’s capital, for the last 10 years of his life, and he remained beloved by many though his citywide popularity never fully recovered after a 1990 drug arrest.

His son, who goes by the name Christopher, filed as a candidate under the name Marion C. Barry. He said in an interview that he’s always had political ambitions even though he hasn’t discussed them publicly. He said his father urged him to run for the seat one day.

“I always admired him, not just as my father but who he was as a leader, and I always took notes when I was around him,” Barry said. “I’ve been living this for 34 years. It’s really a part of my life.”

The younger Barry has been arrested three times on drug and traffic charges, most recently last July, when he was jailed after he was caught driving on a revoked license. He pleaded guilty to that charge in December and is currently serving 9 months’ probation and undergoing drug and alcohol treatment.

“That’s definitely all behind me. Like most young people, I’ve gone through my phases and experimented in drugs. I paid a great price for that and I’ve learned from my mistakes,” Barry said. “I feel as though that experience has made me more qualified to help people who have gone through rough times in life.”

Barry runs a small construction business that has worked as a subcontractor on city government projects, including school construction.

___

Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols

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Related Topics:Christopher Barry dc city council DC politics Marion Barry Marion Barry son Ward 8 washington dc

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

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BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

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Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

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