Washington, DC, Council member Janeese Lewis George, a Democratic Socialist, launched her campaign for mayor of the nation’s capital on Monday – and she’s reportedly seeking to emulate Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral bid.
Lewis George, 37, is seeking to replace DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who announced last week that she would not seek re-election to a fourth term.
“Rent’s rising in homes people can’t afford. Folks are working hard and still feeling the squeeze, while the few in power rake in profits,” Lewis George said in a video announcing her run for mayor, echoing the rhetoric that propelled Mamdani to victory in the Big Apple.
“And now our neighbors, our families, are under attack because we are failing to stand up to defend them,” the council member continued, as images of federal agents arresting people on the street played in the background.
“That’s not the D.C., I know. That’s why I’m running for mayor,” Lewis George declared. “Because 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.”
Axios reported last month that Lewis George was aiming to build a 5,000-members strong volunteer army to knock on doors and phone bank.
Her campaign was also hoping to bring on one of the Mamdani campaign’s top top digital advisers and target young voters online and on TikTok.
Lewis George has served on the DC Council since 2021.
She was endorsed by the DC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who congratulated “our chapter member” after her 2020 victory in the Ward 4 election.
“Janeese’s grassroots, people-powered victories, both in the primary and in the general election, show that Ward 4 residents are tired of the big business and developer-friendly politics … Metro D.C. DSA is confident that George will be an elected leader who stands with the working class,” the group said in 2020.
Like Mamdani, Lewis George has faced criticism for her past support for defunding the police.
“I will absolutely divest from [DC’s Metropolitan Police Department] and put that money into violence interruption programs. Full stop,” she wrote on X in October 2019.
Lewis George walked back her support for defunding the police during her 2020 campaign.
The council member told the Washington Post that as mayor, she would focus on “evidence-based strategies to prevent crime,” suggesting swift punishment but short sentences for criminals work best.
“We’ve focused a lot in the city on sentencing,” Lewis George told the outlet, “but what I’ve learned in law school and as a prosecutor is what deters crime is an individual knowing — am I going to get caught, and what are the chances of me being held accountable?”
President Trump surged federal law enforcement into the nation’s capital earlier this year and federalized the district’s police department as part of a sweeping crime crackdown — moves staunchly opposed by Lewis George.
Bowser was critical of Trump’s DC takeover but later acknowledged that it was helping reduce crime in DC.
