Washingtonian magazine’s 2026 honoree reception brought together a governor, a mayoral nominee, a U.S. attorney, judges, and some of the capital’s most influential voices for an evening worth the name.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washingtonian magazine and Ned’s Club co-hosted the reception for the magazine’s annual Most Powerful Women in Washington list this week, and the room made its own argument for the franchise.
Chef Joshua Smith sent out lobster lollipops, garden tarts, and fried chicken topped with caviar, while signature cocktails — the “Leading Lady” and the “Changemaker” — circulated through the crowd.
Washingtonian’s 2026 list spans 300 women across government, law, business, media, and public life. This year’s honorees include Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger; White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles; Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor; Maryland U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks; and D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George. Among the honorees in the Lobbying, Advocacy, and Think Tanks category is Tammy Haddad — Founder and CEO of Haddad Media and Founder of the Washington AI Network. Other women featured on the list include Anthropic Global Head of Public Sector Teresa Carlson, General Catalyst’s Maryam Mujica, Omidyar Network’s Michele Jawando, Suzanne Clark, Kara Swisher, Susie Wiles, and Jean Case.
The reception drew a cross-section of the city’s power center to match.
SPOTTED: Washingtonian Publisher Cathy Merrill, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, D.C. Councilmember and mayoral nominee Janeese Lewis George, Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Judge Ebony Scott, Gina Adams, David Urban, Jennifer Griffin, Tammy Haddad, Susan Carroll, Linda Rabbitt, Joiwind Ronen, Emma Mears, Sherene Joseph, and Alexandria Hammond.
The full Most Powerful Women in Washington 2026 list is available at Washingtonian.com.
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