D.C. mayoral candidate Kenyan R. McDuffie has conceded the Democratic primary to opponent Janeese Lewis George, his campaign announced Thursday.
“While the final certification process will continue, it is clear that the voters have chosen a different path,” McDuffie, a former D.C. Council member, said in a statement.
Lewis George, the city’s Ward 4 council member, has a double-digit lead in the primary with an estimated 73 percent of votes counted. The Associated Press has not projected a winner in the race, and the city’s elections board is expected to release more returns in the coming days.
As of Thursday, Lewis George was leading in seven of the city’s eight wards — all except Ward 3, the city’s Whitest and wealthiest one.
In a city as deep blue as D.C., the Democratic primary is the election of consequence, meaning Lewis George is likely to become the city’s next mayor. If she succeeds, she will be the first democratic socialist to helm the nation’s capital.
Lewis George ran on vows to improve government services and make child care and housing more affordable, promising a new style of governance after three terms of centrist Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who did not seek reelection. Lewis George vowed to rebuild the city’s economy with a focus on the working class as residents and businesses alike reel from the Trump administration’s mass federal job cuts.
The message resonated at a time when many voters believe the District is moving in the wrong direction.
McDuffie, who served on the council for more than 13 years before resigning in January to set up his run for mayor, also emphasized affordability in his platform, promising to build more housing, make it easier to start a business, and lower child care and utilities costs. While his pledges on child care and housing were more modest than Lewis George’s, McDuffie argued he had the experience and know-how to deliver on the plan he set out.
The campaign grew bitter at times, as the two candidates and their supporters lobbed back-and-forth attacks on utilities, crime and Trump.
Lewis George was boosted by the support of organized labor — the vast majority of the city’s unions endorsed her — and the city’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The endorsements translated into a door-knocking army that mobilized to rally voters across the city.
Meanwhile, the city’s business community rallied behind McDuffie, seeing him as the candidate better poised to kick-start the District’s economy. Real estate executives and other business leaders combined to pour about $2 million into independent expenditure committees backing McDuffie in the race, while labor unions and environmental groups combined to spend a comparable amount trying to elect Lewis George.
McDuffie also garnered support from many people who had benefited directly from legislation he championed — including small-business owners and formerly incarcerated people.
“I want to thank every voter who participated in this election, the tens of thousands of Washingtonians who placed their faith in our campaign, and all of our volunteers, supporters, staff, family members, community leaders, and neighbors who believed in our vision for the future of our city,” McDuffie said Thursday. “The campaign may be over, but the work of building a safer, more affordable, more prosperous city continues.”
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