D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George, a self-avowed democratic socialist, announced Monday she will run to lead the nation’s capital in 2026.
Lewis George, 37, is a lifelong Washingtonian who has represented the District’s 4th Ward, since 2021. According to an announcement video she posted to X Monday morning, her campaign is set to focus on cost-of-living issues and strengthening public services — a platform bearing striking similarities to that of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who also describes himself as a democratic socialist.
Lewis George launching her mayoral bid makes her the first candidate to jump into the race since Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser — who has served as mayor since 2015 — announced she would not run for a fourth term.
“I ran for D.C. Council because I was sick of the status quo, tired of watching politicians make plans that left the rest of us out,” Lewis George said in her campaign launch video. “Rent’s rising in homes people can’t afford, folks working hard and still feeling the squeeze, while few in power rake in profits.”
Lewis George has been strongly opposed to Bowser’s handling of President Donald Trump’s temporary federal takeover of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), saying D.C. leadership is “failing to stand up” to the president’s administration.
“It’s time we had leaders who fight for the people, who stand up to corruption and greed, and stand with the people who make D.C. work,” Lewis George said in her campaign announcement.
The left-wing lawmaker has also bucked against her moderate colleagues in the past, urging her colleagues to move further to the left by refusing to support certain legislation until she has secured amendments for her preferred policies, according to the Washington Post (WaPo).
For example, Lewis George voted for the $3.7 billion deal to rebuild RFK stadium only after she secured a deal with the Washington Commanders to broaden union protections for workers, the WaPo reported.
Lewis George in 2024 voted for a crime bill that strengthened gun penalties following her successful pushback against a provision that would have lowered the required amount of money needed for theft to be prosecuted as a felony, according to the WaPo.
During her last reelection campaign, Lewis George’s opponents criticized her for being soft on crime. During her first successful campaign for City Council in 2020, the socialist walked back past comments about defunding the police. She emphasized her past experience as D.C. Assistant Attorney General in her campaign video, saying she “fought to get justice for crime victims.”
She told the WaPo in an interview published Monday that she would focus on “evidence-based strategies” to prevent crime and quickly prosecute lawbreakers as opposed to handing them longer sentences. She also said she supports hiring more police to decrease the department’s overtime usage and update officers’ facilities to boost morale.
In addition to Mamdani’s Nov. 4 win, fellow socialist Katie Wilson also won her race that month to become Seattle’s mayor-elect. Meanwhile, socialist Omar Fateh came up short in his bid to unseat Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
A spokesperson for Lewis George did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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