Janeese Lewis George, the D.C. Council member and democratic socialist who rallied voters around pledges to bring down soaring costs of living, solidified her expected victory Tuesday in D.C.’s mayoral race, the Associated Press projected.
Lewis George will become the District’s eighth elected mayor of the home rule era, succeeding Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who opted not to seek reelection after nearly 12 years in office.
At an election-night party in Ward 8, Lewis George described her victory as a “declaration that working people deserve a government that works as hard as they do.”
“Thank you for trusting this daughter of the District to lead us,” the native Washingtonian, clad in her signature purple, told the crowd. “It’s a new day for D.C.”
With her victory, the nation’s capital is joining major cities like New York and Seattle in electing a democratic socialist as mayor for the first time, fueling momentum for the movement as its candidates, including Lewis George, seize on affordability issues.
Lewis George, 38, is expected to chart a more liberal course compared with Bowser, a centrist, as she aims to deliver major campaign promises such as universal affordable child care and the construction of 72,000 housing units. But Lewis George will take office in early January with a massive budget deficit, and, unlike mayors in Seattle or New York, must contend with a president blocks away on Pennsylvania Avenue who can wield unique power over the District.
She has promised a more aggressive approach toward President Donald Trump compared with Bowser, including pledging to sever any coordination between local police and federal immigration authorities on her first day. Her ability to defend against potential federal intervention in city affairs could also depend on who wins control of Congress in the midterm elections; a Republican majority for the past two years has emboldened Trump, causing the Bowser administration to move more cautiously. Democrats are widely expected to fare well.
Lewis George’s victory completes her rise from a little-known prosecutor elected to the D.C. Council six years ago — with socialist bona fides making her its most progressive member — to the leader of the nation’s capital.
On the council, Lewis George became known for her advocacy for tenants’ and workers’ rights, which were also central pillars of her mayoral campaign.
Her campaign was fueled by firm union backing, both financially and in the form of a high-energy grassroots door knockers. Those alliances are likely to be watched closely by both supporters and critics as Lewis George stakes positions on key issues affecting workers and businesses.
Some in the business community have expressed concerns that her affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America and some of her positions — such as broaching a new business activity tax to pay for universal child care, or her opposition to legislation allowing robotaxis in D.C. — would hurt efforts to attract investment in the city.
But in an election in which affordability challenges animated voters, many saw in Lewis George the change in status quo they were looking for.
Yael Fitzpatrick, a 56-year-old voter in Ward 4, said she felt emotional as she cast her ballot for Lewis George. She said she saw her as D.C.’s version of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) — “or maybe Mamdani is New York’s version of her.”
“She gives me hope,” Fitzpatrick said. “I feel like our city’s in a bad place right now because of the federal government. She’s made me feel hope in a way that nobody has in a while.”
Jaime Contreras, executive vice president of 32BJ SEIU, said he would be looking to the new mayor to protect workers’ health care, take executive action to protect immigrants — many of whom are in his union — and avoid hasty decisions on robotaxis to protect drivers. The debate over that legislation could be an early test for Lewis George in balancing different interests as mayor.
“Janeese Lewis George understands that people don’t make enough money in this city to be able to make ends meet,” Contreras said.
Speaking to reporters, Lewis George said she believed voters gave her a “very clear” mandate.
“The people have asked me to make this city more affordable, and in three areas in particular: affordable homes, affordable utilities and affordable child care,” she said, adding that she would also launch efforts to improve basic government services, such as the 911 and 311 systems.
Lewis George is one of three democratic socialists who are expected to win in D.C.’s local elections on Tuesday, giving the DSA more traction and allies on the D.C. Council as the movement gains national visibility.
DSA member Aparna Raj, a tenant organizer, was projected to win the Ward 1 council race representing some of D.C’s most diverse and densely populated neighborhoods. And Oye Owolewa, a pharmacist who since 2021 has served as a House shadow representative advocating for D.C. statehood, is expected to snag an at-large council seat.
Kurtis Hagans, chair of D.C.’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said that for the past five years, the organization saw Lewis George as its “lone voice” on the council, taking a stand against proposals such as expanded pretrial detention for juveniles or a rollback of a tenants’ rights law.
He said the 2025 election of Mamdani in New York led to an explosion in interest in the party that only accelerated after Lewis George’s decisive victory in June’s primary. Membership has doubled in the past year alone, to about 4,000 members, he said.
“When I personally think of what the role of a socialist mayor might be, one of the first phrases that jumps to mind is ‘organizer-in-chief,’” Hagans said. “She’ll have a bully pulpit. And I’m looking forward to seeing how and where she can use that power to help direct the working class, to resistance against Trumpism, a resistance against slumlords, and towards a better future for those of us in D.C.”
Lewis George will take office at a time of economic duress in Washington, driven by Trump’s federal jobs cuts and shaky commercial real estate and rental housing markets. The city also faces a budget shortfall of up to $837 million.
Among her first actions in office, Lewis George said in a recent interview, will be unveiling a comprehensive housing plan that addresses concerns ranging from those of tenants fighting poor conditions to those of developers and landlords, who say chronic problems with unpaid rent threaten to foreclose properties.
She will also appoint a rat czar after complaints about the rodents frequently came up at a citywide “listening tour” this summer — so much so that she joked it should have been a main campaign plank. “Let me say that rats went up on the priority list,” she said. “It should have been: Affordability. Trump. Rats.”
Lewis George’s approach to Trump, who last year declared an emergency to temporarily take over D.C. police, will likely probably be an area of significant contrasts with the current mayor. Bowser has avoided confrontations with Trump and created a structure for city police to coordinate with federal officers, steps she has said were designed to protect the city’s limited autonomy and prevent more drastic incursions.
Given Democrats’ anticipated gains in the midterms, “I think the next administration will go into a very different political environment than the one that we have had over the last couple of years,” Bowser told reporters Monday. She noted she would be supporting Lewis George in the election.
Lewis George, who has had several meetings with Bowser and sought her advice on handling crises, may have to contend early with multiple ongoing investigations from the Trump administration examining conditions at the D.C. jail as well as a slate of youth issues, including chronic absenteeism and whether the child welfare system adequately protects children.
On Tuesday, Lewis George said in her speech she was “not naive” to the possibility to D.C. facing future threats to its autonomy but never mentioned Trump by name. The president has called her a “communist” and floated a “takeover” last summer if she were to win the election.
Lewis George told reporters she was still planning to set up a meeting with the president and was “looking forward to working with the administration for the benefit of D.C. residents.”
“But as I’ve always said, I’m also willing to stand up for D.C. residents,” she said.
Many voters Tuesday said Lewis George’s promise to be more outspoken in opposing Trump’s federal law enforcement crackdown drew them to her campaign.
Nate Green, a 28-year-old police officer and former teacher, said he wanted to see her follow through on promises to sever coordination with immigration authorities.
“I strongly disagree with federal officers’ working with us. I think it causes unnecessary tension that we didn’t have before,” Green said after casting his vote for her. He hoped Lewis George’s election would push the city in a new, more liberal direction. “It’s time for us to have a change — we’ve been moderate for a long time.”
Her victory Tuesday triggers a formal transition process, and Lewis George is expected to announce more plans on Wednesday.
Rounding out D.C.’s elections, a slate of council incumbents were also expected to be reelected to their seats. Council member Elissa Silverman, who won a special election in June to fill the seat of Kenyan R. McDuffie, was expected to win Tuesday to retain the seat.
Joining Lewis George in marking a new era for D.C. government, Robert C. White Jr. (D) — who resigned Monday from the D.C. Council — was projected to win the race for House delegate to succeed retiring Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), 89. It is the first time in more than three decades that the position has had new leadership.
Angie Orellana Hernandez contributed to this report.
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