WASHINGTON — At Best Cuts Barber Shop, across from Howard University, owner Jay Staten, 59, was cutting longtime customer Johnnie Battle’s hair when their conversation turned to the 2026 midterm elections and public education.
“The Department of Education will be gone soon,” Battle said.
“Yeah, it’s all a mess,” Staten said, shaping up Johnnie’s sideburns with buzzing clippers.
Staten has been cutting Battle’s hair since he was 13. Battle is now 48.
For generations, Black barbershops have served as gathering places where men debate politics and discuss community concerns. With midterm elections underway, those conversations offer a glimpse into the political frustrations and priorities of everyday voters.
At Signature Barbershop, Odai Sayyad, 36, described himself as apathetic about the elections but said he still plans to vote. A registered independent, Sayyad said neither major political party fully represents his views. Before casting his ballot, he plans to research the candidates and choose someone he believes will “be for the people.”
At Best Cuts, Staten described the country’s political climate as “troubling times.”
He expressed concern about how control of the U.S. Senate could affect the nation’s direction and warned about the importance of exercising voting rights.
At Edges Barber Shop, owner Joseph Keller, 55, expressed frustration with political gridlock, saying Democrats and Republicans have become too divided to accomplish meaningful work.
An independent voter, Keller said his political views cross party lines and he raised concerns about threats to D.C. home rule.
“Nixon gave D.C. the power to choose your mayor and choose your council,” Keller said, adding that “this Republican president is threatening to take it away.”
The 1973 Home Rule Act gave District residents the right to elect a mayor and council while preserving congressional authority over the city.
In June, President Donald Trump suggested he might place Washington under greater federal control, although repealing the Home Rule Act would require congressional action.
For these men, the midterm elections are about more than which party controls Congress.
Here’s an inside look at how conversations in three D.C. barbershops reveal what voters are thinking about the 2026 midterm elections.
Ssanyu Lukoma is a senior honors broadcast journalism major and political science minor from New Jersey.
