D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson offered congratulations Wednesday to former council member Trayon White for winning Tuesday’s Ward 8 special election — just five months after Mr. Mendelson oversaw Mr. White’s expulsion over a federal bribery case that he called “quintessential corruption.”

Mr. Mendelson, at-large Democrat, shared his well wishes for Mr. White in a short statement to The Washington Times.

“The Chairman wishes Mr. White congratulations on the election,” the statement from his office read.

The comment is a change in tone from the chairman, who excoriated Mr. White’s alleged scheme to steer city government contracts for cash when the charges were announced last summer and during February’s expulsion hearing. The council voted unanimously to oust Mr. White, who had won his reelection bid in November after the bribery charges had been announced.

It’s uncertain if the council will again expel Mr. White. He said Tuesday night that he is bracing for that possibility, telling WTOP-FM he had lawyers on standby for any council challenges.

Federal authorities accused Mr. White of agreeing to take more than $150,000 in exchange for directing government grants to his preferred anti-violence organizations. Video and audio evidence shared by prosecutors allegedly showed Mr. White pocketing wads of cash from an FBI informant last summer.

Mr. White, 41, has pleaded not guilty, and is scheduled to go to trial in January.

The charging documents served as the basis for the council’s decision to remove him. That set the stage for Tuesday’s special election, which Mr. White was allowed to run in because he has not been convicted. If he is found guilty, he would lose his seat once again.

The lawmaker, who has represented a ward largely concentrated east of the Anacostia River and has generational issues with crime and poverty, celebrated his victory early Wednesday.

“Last night, we made history, man,” Mr. White posted on Instagram. “Sent a message. Gonna continue to send messages. We can do anything we put our mind to.”

The special election victory puts Mr. White on the same trajectory as his mentor, the late Marion Barry Jr.

The man affectionately known as D.C.’s “Mayor for Life” was caught smoking crack in 1990 in a downtown hotel and was tried on several charges in federal court. But a jury convicted Mr. Barry of only one misdemeanor drug count before he returned to office in 1994.

Mr. White’s special election victory was not nearly as decisive as his reelection last fall, when he defeated a candidate from the city’s largely irrelevant Republican Party.

He received about 30% of the vote, facing fellow Democrats Sheila Bunn, Mike Austin, and Salim Adofo. The trio split the remainder of the ballots fairly, with roughly 22% to 24% each.

Ms. Bunn is a former staffer for former mayor and council member Vincent Gray. Mr. Austin worked for former Ward 8 council member LaRuby May. And Mr. Adofo, who gave Mr. White a scare during the party primary last summer, chairs an Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Congress Heights.

Campaign finance records show Mr. White raised almost no money on the trail, which he openly admitted at his celebratory watch party.

He was already in the hole for more than $100,000 to vendors after his reelection last fall, his failed 2022 mayoral bid and his first reelection campaign in 2020. It’s unclear if he’s paid down any of that debt.

The Board of Elections is expected to certify the election Aug. 8, putting Mr. White back on the legislative body as it debates the much-ballyhooed RFK Stadium deal.

It’s also uncertain how much influence the council member would have on the body that pushed him out months ago.

But Mr. White framed the challenges as temporary during his victory speech Tuesday night.

“It’s a testament, man, that if you fall down — because we’re all going to fall down — but can you get back up? Today Ward 8 stood up,” he said.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.