Brooke Pinto (born ) is an American attorney and politician. In June 2020, she won the special election to succeed Jack Evans on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward 2. She is the youngest Councilmember in the District's history.

Early life and education

Born in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...

, Pinto is the daughter of James Pinto, a private equity investor who heads MVC Capital. She attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

and completed a degree in business and hospitality administration. She then moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to attend

Georgetown University Law School The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

, where she earned a Juris Doctor in 2017.

Career

After graduating from law school, Pinto worked for

Attorney General for the District of Columbia The Attorney General for the District of Columbia is the chief legal officer of the District of Columbia. While attorneys general previously were appointed by the mayor, District of Columbia voters approved a charter amendment in 2010 that ...

Karl Racine Karl Anthony Racine (born December 14, 1962) is a Haitian-American lawyer and politician. He is the first independently elected Attorney General of the District of Columbia, a position he has held since January 2015. Before that, he was the mana ...

through a one-year fellowship, after which he hired her as assistant attorney general for policy and legislative affairs. She helped legislation to address hate crimes and deceptive charity practices. She resigned from the office the role after one year to launch her campaign for Council of the District of Columbia.

2020 campaign for the D.C. Council

June 2020 Primary Election

In February 2020, Pinto announced her candidacy for Ward 2 Councilmember. Pinto was the last entrant into a crowded field that included Jack Evans, who resigned following multiple ethics violations. Pinto touted that she was the only candidate with business, tax, and legislative experience, which was needed in the wake of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

endorsed her campaign. Pinto garnered support from Congressmen

Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal (; born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of ...

and

Joe Kennedy III Joseph Patrick Kennedy III (born October 4, 1980) is an American lawyer, politician and diplomat who currently serves as United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland since 2022. Prior to this, Kennedy served as the U.S. representative for f ...

, who previously received $7,500 and $12,800 in donations, respectively, from her father James Pinto. She was also endorsed by former US Senator Tom Daschle and DC's Shadow Senator Michael Brown. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' editorial board endorsed Pinto, claiming that she would provide a "needed new start". Pinto's platform included opposition to outside interest groups. Following her June 2020 primary election victory, ''Washington City Paper'' reported that Pinto had never previously voted in a DC election. Among Ward 2 candidates, she had the lowest share of D.C. contributors and the most money from out of state donors. Pinto was the only candidate who did not participate in D.C.'s Fair Elections public financing program, which allowed her to self-fund $45,000 for her campaign. In the Democratic Party primary election for a full term in the Ward 2 Council seat, there were reports of long lines and complaints that many voters who had requested ballots by mail did not receive them. Pinto earned 28 percent of the vote in a field of eight candidates listed on the ballot, ultimately winning the Democratic primary by about 300 votes. In the June 16 special election to finish the remaining term on the vacant Ward 2 Council seat, Pinto won with 43 percent of the vote in a field of seven candidates.

November 2020 General Election

Pinto faced multiple challengers in the general election, focusing their campaigns on her finances and local expertise. Opponents included Peter Bolton, the

D.C. Statehood Green Party The Statehood Green Party, known as DC Statehood Party prior to 1999, is the progressive political party in the District of Columbia. The party is the D.C. affiliate of the national Green Party but has traditionally elevated issues of District ...

candidate, and independents Martín Miguel Fernández and Randy Downs.List of Candidates In the November 3, 2020 General Election
. ''District of Columbia Board of Elections''. Retrieved August 11, 2020.

Councilmember

In 2021, Pinto broke campaign finance laws in an effort to retire her campaign debts. At a $500 a head fundraiser hosted by a Ward 2 developer, Pinto raised $21,000, in violation of a DC law that prohibits candidates from fundraising to pay off campaign debts more than six months after they are elected. Pinto said that it was an honest mistake while the Office of Campaign finance disputed her claims that its guidance to Pinto was unclear.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto, Brooke 1990s births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Cornell University alumni Living people Members of the Council of the District of Columbia People from Greenwich, Connecticut Washington, D.C., Democrats Washington, D.C., government officials Women city councillors in the District of Columbia