Socialist Janeese Lewis George wins DC mayoral race as Trump White House looms large

Socialist Janeese Lewis George clinched the race to be Washington, D.C.’s next mayor, setting up the Democratic Socialists of America member to lead the district through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term.Lewis George garnered 84% of the vote compared to her next-closest competitor, independent Rhonda Hamilton, who garnered 10.3% of the vote, according to the Associated Press, which called the race at 9:56 p.m.In deep-blue Washington, Lewis George was essentially a shoo-in for Tuesday night’s general election after she defeated former Councilman Kenyan McDuffie in the Democratic primary. Lewis George launched what she called a “listening tour” to speak with district residents after her primary win, keeping her messaging focused on what she would do as mayor rather than talking about her third-party general election opponents. 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS, AND ANALYSIS“Whether you voted for me or not, I’m fighting for you,” Lewis George said in June after her primary win against McDuffie. “Because we all deserve a D.C. we can afford, a D.C. that we trust to defend us, a D.C. we trust to solve problems — the big ones and the little ones.Lewis George, the current Ward 4 councilwoman representing the northernmost part of the district, centered her campaign on what she called a “people-first platform” while boasting an endorsement from the local DSA chapter. Throughout her campaign, she committed to policies including capping childcare costs at 7% of a family’s household income, preventing utility rate hikes, and rescinding regulations that allow district police officers to coordinate with federal immigration enforcement.Trump has committed to meeting with Lewis George, who styled her social-media-forward campaign similarly to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The president said in June, however, that he will not let Washington “be destroyed by a Communist adherent who has no intention to, MAKE WASHINGTON GREAT AGAIN,” referring to Lewis George.Lewis George told NBC4 Washington in August that she is willing to “work with anyone to the benefit of D.C. residents” but will also “stand up to anyone, including the president,” for that same reason.JANEESE LEWIS GEORGE VOWS TO CUT BACK ON TRUMP’S ‘SAFE AND BEAUTIFUL TASK FORCE’ ON DAY 1 AS DC MAYORLewis George will replace three-term Mayor Muriel Bowser, who announced she would not seek reelection in 2025. Bowser and Trump have had an up-and-down relationship, but she became much more Trump-friendly during her last two years in office as she made way for the president to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department and deploy the National Guard across the district.With the socialist identifier behind her name, Lewis George is likely to have policy positions that, in recent years, pundits expect to draw more of Trump’s ire than Bowser’s.