Janeese Lewis George Poised To Become DC Mayor

Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist city council member who campaigned on confronting President Donald Trump and ending the district’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, is on track to become Washington, D.C.’s next mayor after her main opponent conceded Thursday.

Lewis George secured the Democratic nomination in the city’s first ranked-choice voting election, defeating Kenyan McDuffie, a former city council member who had emphasized public safety and support for local businesses. In heavily Democratic Washington, the party’s nominee is widely expected to win the November general election. Al Jazeera reported there is no Republican challenger, though independent and third-party candidates can still run.

“Earlier this morning, I called Councilmember Janeese Lewis George to congratulate her on her victory and wish her success as she prepares for the general election,” McDuffie said in a statement.

Lewis George ran on a platform that included expanding childcare, education and housing, as well as revoking Washington’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Al Jazeera reported that she is a former prosecutor who drew support from labor groups while promising to set clear boundaries with the Trump administration, including ending cooperation between local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Her victory would make her the first member of the Democratic Socialists of America to lead Washington, Al Jazeera reported. The group also includes New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

McDuffie, by contrast, gained backing from parts of the city’s business community and presented himself as a moderate. Al Jazeera reported that his approach resembled that of current Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has balanced criticism of Trump with cooperation with his administration.

Trump was a central figure in the mayoral primary. He had threatened to expand federal control over Washington if Lewis George won, including saying he might “take back Washington and run it on the federal basis.” Lewis George responded before the vote by saying the city needed a strong response.

“We are not going to get ICE off our streets or protect Home Rule by fearing this President,” she said. “Threatening DC because you do not like how our residents vote is an attack on democracy itself. The people of DC elect the Mayor of DC. And they want someone who will stand up to Trump.”

Washington is a federal district, giving the White House and Congress unusual power over local affairs. Under a 1973 law, the district has “home-rule,” allowing residents to elect a mayor, council members and neighborhood commissioners to manage daily government. Advocates have long called for statehood for the district, which has more than 700,000 residents. Both Lewis George and McDuffie support D.C. statehood.

Since taking office in January of last year, Trump has repeatedly threatened greater control over the capital. Al Jazeera reported that he briefly federalized the city’s police department in August of last year, citing a crime emergency, increased federal immigration enforcement in the district and deployed the National Guard as part of a “beautification” project. The Guardian reported that Trump also supported widespread immigration enforcement and that the city continues to face the effects of federal workforce cuts after his administration and Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” slashed entire agencies last year. D.C. unemployment remains among the highest in the nation, The Guardian reported.

Further down the ballot, longtime city council member Robert White won the Democratic race for Washington’s nonvoting delegate seat in the U.S. House. He defeated Brooke Pinto, another city council member who also campaigned largely on public safety. The current delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, announced her retirement earlier this year.