RESULTS: Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC, wins the Democratic nomination for a 3rd term

Washington, DC, held a mayoral primary on Tuesday. DC holds its elections primarily by mail, and the last in-person polls closed at 8 p.m. ET.

The race & the stakes:

Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser won her party's nomination for a third term as mayor of Washington, DC, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Bowser, first elected in 2014, has faced challenges in recent years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness, crime and gun violence, and protests over police brutality and racism in summer 2020.

Bowser ran on her record and pointing to concrete achievements under her tenure while her Democratic opponents made the case that fresh leadership is needed to solve mounting challenges in the nation's capital.

Three candidates, at-large Councilman Robert C. White, Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White, and former advisory neighborhood commission member James Butler, ran against Bowser for the Democratic nomination.

"They get no argument from us about the challenges that confront D.C.," The Washington Post editorial board wrote about Bowser's opponents, "but it is those very challenges that demand a seasoned leader who has already proved she can deal with tough issues."

The Democratic nominee is heavily favored to win in the general election in overwhelmingly-Democratic DC. If Bowser wins a third term, she'll be the longest-serving mayor of Washington, DC, since former Mayor Marion Barry, who served four terms and was unofficially dubbed "Mayor for Life."