FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2025
Contact: info@kinneyfordc.com
KINNEY ZALESNE ANNOUNCES RUN FOR DC DELEGATE
Longtime Washingtonian and national leader enters race to fight for full representation
Raises Over $250,000 in Campaign's First 24 Hours
WASHINGTON, DC — Kinney Zalesne, a DNC Deputy Finance Chair and a respected leader across the government, business, and nonprofit sectors, announced her candidacy this week for DC Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives and immediately announced she had already raised over $250,000 in just her campaign's first day.
“DC deserves power, real power,” said Zalesne. “We live in the capital of the free world but have less freedom than almost anywhere else in the country. Congress blocks our budget, overturns our laws, and sidelines our voices. I’m running to work with people across the District to make sure our voices are heard and to be relentless in fighting for our rights, our economy, our schools and our future," she said.
Zalesne moved to DC in 1995 to serve as a White House Fellow with then-Vice President Al Gore. Over the last three decades, she and her husband Scott have raised four kids in the city while dedicating themselves to community life—through DC schools, pools, parks, and nonprofits.
Kinney has held top leadership positions in the government, business, and nonprofit sectors -- serving as Counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno at the Justice Department, co-leading the Corporate Strategy team at Microsoft, and serving as President of a national nonprofit that started in a basement in Adams Morgan and has helped thousands of DC students go to college. She has also played a key role in Democratic politics, including as a DNC Deputy National Finance Chair and National Co-Chair of Women for [Kamala] Harris.
Just one day after launching her campaign for DC’s Congressional Delegate, Zalesne has already raised over a quarter of a million dollars, possibly the largest one-day fundraising haul for political office in recent DC history and reflecting early enthusiasm for Zalesne’s candidacy and her vision for a stronger, more represented DC.
“This is an incredible start,” said Zalesne. “I’m so grateful to everyone who’s joining this effort so early.”
Praising the legacy of Eleanor Holmes Norton, Zalesne said, “For decades, Eleanor Holmes Norton gave us a voice. A reason to stand taller. Now it’s time to send someone to Congress who is just as relentless, just as unafraid.” Zalesne added, “As a former senior official at the Justice Department, I know how to build a bridge—but I know how to pick a fight, too. This is our city. And I’ll fight for every neighborhood and every family like everything is on the line. Because it is," she said.
For more information, visit kinneyfordc.com.
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