Lewis George Wins D.C. Mayor Race as City Elects First Democratic Socialist

Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George has won the race for mayor of Washington, D.C., according to projections from NBC News and the Associated Press. She will succeed Muriel Bowser, who did not seek a fourth term. Fox 5 DC, citing AP, reported that Lewis George is the first person associated with democratic socialist politics to be elected mayor of the District.

Her victory sets up a test of the city's relationship with the federal government. President Donald Trump criticized her after her June primary win, and she has promised to resist any attempt to federalize the city while saying she is willing to work with the administration.

Who won, and who she beat

Lewis George, a member of the D.C. Council representing Ward 4, defeated Robert L. Gross of the DC Statehood Green Party and independent Rhonda Hamilton, according to NBC News. No Republicans ran. Fox 5 DC reported that she is 38 years old.

She will be the city's first new mayor since 2015, NBC News reported. Bowser served three terms and is leaving public office. Lewis George has been on the Council since 2020, and AP reported she is the first Council member to carry the democratic socialist label since 1998. Her general election campaign was endorsed by the Working Families Party and the Washington Teachers' Union, according to Fox 5 DC.

It was also the first mayoral race in the city to use ranked choice voting, which voters approved as a ballot measure in 2024, NBC News reported.

Part of a wider trend in cities

NBC News placed the result alongside other recent wins by self-identified socialists in big cities. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is the highest-profile mayor who belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson also identifies as a democratic socialist, though she is not a DSA member.

Why it matters for D.C. residents

Lewis George campaigned heavily on the cost of living, and her agenda touches several everyday expenses, according to NBC News, NBC4 and Fox 5 DC:

• Child care: She supports universal child care. She told NBC4 she wants more funding for the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program, which offers free child care to eligible 3- and 4-year-olds, until it is open to all residents.
• Housing and tenants: She plans to expand the city's rent stabilization program and build more homes, according to her campaign website as cited by NBC4. She also wants more affordable housing and has pointed to rising utility rates.
• Transit: She proposed making city buses free for residents enrolled in SNAP benefits, NBC News reported.
• City budget and spending: She has called for a budget that does not place undue burdens on working residents. She told Fox 5 DC she would order an early forensic analysis of every District agency, looking at savings, spending, fraud and mishandling.

On immigration and policing, she told NBC4 she planned to sign two executive orders on her first day in office. One would end local law enforcement's participation in federal immigration enforcement. The other would address police participation in the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. Fox 5 DC reported she has also called for ending cooperation between the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The standoff with the White House

Fox 5 DC reported that before the June primary, Trump threatened to use the Home Rule Act to take over the city if Lewis George were elected. After her primary win, NBC News reported, he posted that he would not let Washington be destroyed by a communist adherent. In a post quoted by NBC4, he said his efforts had made the city nearly crime-free and that he would not let her approach have a chance.

Lewis George responded that she would work with the administration for residents' benefit. In an interview with Fox 5 DC, she said she was also prepared to stand up to it. On election night she told supporters, “we will protect our local autonomy and we will win D.C. statehood.”

She has said the president cannot strip the District of its governance without congressional approval, according to Fox 5 DC. She told the station she has talked with federal lawmakers, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, about building support on Capitol Hill. She is also preparing for possible legal fights with D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. NBC4 reported that she believes Bowser's administration did not push back hard enough against federal intrusion.

What happens next

Lewis George has said her first moves will include the executive orders on immigration enforcement and the police task force, followed by the agency-by-agency financial review. A date for her swearing-in was not given in the reports. How the White House responds to her win, and whether Congress becomes involved, will shape how much of her agenda the city can carry out.

Around Prague, based on reporting by NBC News, NBC4 Washington, FOX 5 DC