Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for D.C. mayor, the Associated Press projected, setting her up to become the first democratic socialist mayor of the nation’s capital and validating a campaign she built around workers’ rights and affordability.
Lewis George embraced her new title Thursday, hosting a news conference after opponent Kenyan R. McDuffie called her in the morning to concede the primary.
“I’m honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for the mayor of Washington, D.C.,” said Lewis George, a council member representing Ward 4.
“From native Washingtonians to people that have found and called this place home, to restaurant workers, to teachers, to retirees, so many people — whether you’re new to the team or have been a part of this since day one, I want to be clear that I plan to be a mayor for everyone who calls this city home,” she said.
In a city as deeply blue as D.C., the Democratic primary is the election of consequence, meaning Lewis George is likely to become the city’s next mayor.
Hours before the Associated Press’s call, McDuffie, a former council member, said in a statement: “It is clear that the voters have chosen a different path.”
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who did not seek reelection, said she also spoke with Lewis George on Thursday morning.
“I joined fellow Washingtonians in congratulating her,” the mayor told reporters after an event at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
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.
Lewis George performed best in D.C.’s younger precincts, winning by a wide margin across polling sites where more than 60 percent of the population is less than 35 years old, according to a Washington Post analysis of election and Census Bureau data as of Thursday. McDuffie eked out a win — by about four points — in precincts with an older population, the analysis showed.
Lewis George dominated across all income and education groups, though her weakest margin was among precincts with median incomes above $150,000. She also did best in precincts where most adults have college degrees.
She outpaced McDuffie in precincts with a high Hispanic population, with a margin of 40 points. She led by at least 10 points in majority-Black precincts. McDuffie nearly matched Lewis George in precincts with the smallest Black populations, trailing by one point.
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 the more centrist Bowser. Lewis George vowed to rebuild the city’s economy with a focus on the working class, as residents and businesses reel from the Trump administration’s mass federal job cuts.
The message resonated at a time when many voters say the District is moving in the wrong direction, and amid lingering tensions over the Trump administration’s involvement in local affairs.
Asked about the mayoral race last week, President Donald Trump threatened to seize control of the city should Lewis George be elected. Although Trump is legally barred from unilaterally revoking the city’s self-government, the federal government does exercise outsize authority in the District. Last summer, Trump temporarily took control of the city’s police department and surged federal law enforcement to the District, launching a National Guard deployment that continues.
Some Lewis George supporters cited Trump’s threats during interviews at precincts on Tuesday, saying they only bolstered their support for her.
Bowser, asked about Trump’s threats on Thursday, said, “We’re going to keep governing over the next six months, and on January the 2nd, pass off the baton of the best city in the world, and it will be in great shape.”
Lewis George said Thursday that she would continue to defer to Bowser on the city’s relationship with Trump through the transition but that she would be willing to meet with the president.
“I want to make sure the president understands that I am willing to work with anyone to the benefit of D.C. residents, and that includes President Trump and members of his administration,” she said. “If the White House asks for a conversation or call, I am open to having that conversation or call.”
Lewis George said she focused her conversations with voters on how government can improve its services and help make the District more affordable for residents struggling with high costs.
“When they’re struggling every day, working two jobs and still can’t make it, they don’t want to know what government can’t do,” Lewis George said. “I ran for mayor to show them what government can do when you care, when you show up, when you listen and when you put people first.”
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.”
Maia Nehme contributed to this report.
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