Outgoing D.C. Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5), fresh from suspending his candidacy for attorney general after he was disqualified for the ballot, said Wednesday that he is endorsing Faith Gibson Hubbard to replace him on the city’s legislature once his term ends in January.

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       Standing alongside her supporters and local business owners outside an ice cream shop on Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast, McDuffie said Gibson Hubbard, a longtime D.C. government worker, is best-equipped to unite residents in a rapidly changing ward, pointing to examples of her contributions to the community.

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       McDuffie has said he met Gibson Hubbard around the time he joined the council in 2012 when she was president of the Ward 5 Council on Education. She’s since served in various roles related to D.C. government and local education, including chief student advocate, executive director of the “Thrive by Five” program that promotes maternal and young children’s health, and most recently, director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs under the administration of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D).

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       “Having [had] the opportunity to interact with each of the candidates that are in the race, evaluate them, and get a sense of their commitment to the ward — how invested they really are," said McDuffie. “I came to the conclusion fairly easily that Faith was the only person that can build on our progress and bring people together.”

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       McDuffie, who made the announcement just over two weeks after he suspended his own campaign for D.C. attorney general, is the third sitting council member to make an endorsement in the Ward 5 race. Christina Henderson (I-At Large) is also backing Gibson Hubbard. Gibson Hubbard also has received endorsements from The Washington Post’s editorial board, which is separate from the news operation, as well as D.C. Women in Politics and the National Organization for Women.

       Former D.C. Council members David Grosso and Harry Thomas Jr. — the latter of whom dropped out of the Ward 5 race in January — also joined McDuffie in backing Gibson Hubbard on Wednesday. With just over a month to go until the June 21 Democratic primary, Gibson Hubbard — in an appeal to the community’s longtime residents — said McDuffie’s support is especially meaningful because his family has lived in Ward 5 for three generations.

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       “The preservation of our community and the foundation that has been built is something that is not lost on me," she said. “It’s something that I haven’t heard a lot of my other colleagues in the race talk about because they’ve been too busy talking about themselves.”

       The crowded Ward 5 contest has ratcheted up in intensity as candidates have looked to distinguish themselves. Last week, Council member Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) announced that she is endorsing D.C. State Board of Education member Zachary Parker in the race. Several left-leaning groups and unions have coalesced around Parker, including the Democratic Socialists for America, the Working Families Party and the Capital Stonewall Democrats. He also earned an endorsement from Attorney General Karl A Racine (D).

       Parker and Gibson Hubbard have led the pack in fundraising among Ward 5 candidates, followed by Ward 5 Democrats chair Gordon-Andrew Fletcher and former council member Vincent B. Orange. Also running are former advisory neighborhood commissioner Kathy Henderson, former teacher Gary Johnson and Art Lloyd.

       Asked if he would offer any other endorsements ahead of the primary, McDuffie said he was speaking with multiple candidates, adding, “my plans are not etched in stone.” When asked about his own future, McDuffie avoided the question.

       “I’m happy to talk with you about that another time,” he said. “But today is about Faith.”