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Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist member of the Washington, DC Council described as “DC’s version of [New York City Mayor] Zohran Mamdani,” is set to become mayor of the country’s capital after his rival conceded the race on Thursday morning.
In a city that leans heavily to the left and has no real contenders in the polls, Lewis George will likely win the November general election for mayor. His main challenger was former City Council member McDuffie, who conceded the race two days after the primary election, with five other low-ballot candidates: Rini Sampath, Gary Goodweather, Ernest Johnson, Hope Solomon and Vincent Orange.
Lewis George is poised to replace incumbent Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who worked with President Donald Trump two years ago but ultimately opted not to seek a fourth term in office.
Ward 4 Council Member Janeese Lewis George joins parents, teachers, and organizers at a rally for SPACEs In Action and Blandi’s Childcare Center to call for Pay Equity Fund funding and child care funding at Blandis Childcare Center in Washington, DC, on March 27, 2026. (SPACEs in Action by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
In a very contradictory way to the current administration, the victory of Lewis George includes a conflict with Trump as the president has made cleaning up DC in his second term a main goal, keeps the deployment of the National Guard in the capital of the country and has repeatedly threatened to end the home rule of the region.
Opposition to Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to DC was a central tenet of Lewis George’s speech at the council and during his campaign.
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“Like many of you, I am shocked and outraged that President Trump announced that he is strengthening the Home Rule Act by deploying the National Guard and exercising authority over the Metropolitan Police Department. This is a direct attack on the 700,000 citizens of DC and we will not stand for it,” he said in a statement when Trump announced this measure last August.
While Bowser offered to cooperate with the Trump administration on the crackdown on crime, which was mainly focused on juvenile incidents, Lewis George emphasized that “federal forces” and “undercover ICE” are a real threat to the city’s youth.
Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George speaks during a city council meeting in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2023. (Craig Hudson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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“Right now, using curfew as a tool for our youth is dangerous,” he said during a major debate. “It’s dangerous because we have state troopers in our city, undercover ICE agents in our city, and these are the people who use this law and our youth.”
“And these are not people trained to come down, they don’t answer to the residents of DC.”
“As mayor,” he continued, “I think it’s important that we use the right tools, and not risk our youth getting hurt or killed without the proper supervision that’s needed.”
Ward 4 Councilwoman Janeese Lewis-George speaks during the “Rally for Childcare” event aimed at restoring child care funding at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC, on May 12, 2025. (SPACEs in Action by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
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Instead, Lewis George plans to offer even more of a “youth program” to keep young people out of trouble.
He proposed a plan to expand universal access to child care in DC, “so that no family spends more than 7% of their income on child care.”
As a self-described democratic socialist, Lewis George is expected to push the district further to the left as Trump and Republicans seek to reverse the left-wing policies they say are destroying the nation’s capital.
The candidate has supported the repealed police movement and has been endorsed by progressive groups such as Black Lives Matter, the Working Families Party and the Metro DC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Trump has suggested he could order another takeover of Washington DC if a “crazy” mayoral candidate is elected.
“I’m not going to like it — and maybe we’re going to take back Washington, run it on the basis of unity,” Trump said when asked by reporters how he would respond if the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist DC council member won his bid.
“We will not tolerate it. We will not lose our businesses,” Trump said last week during a press conference. The White House.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
