Janeese Lewis George is favored in Washington, D.C., mayoral race

Federal intervention remains central to District of Columbia vote

Voters in Washington, D.C., are electing their first new mayor in 12 years, with D.C. council member Janeese Lewis George heavily favored to win, according to The Associated Press. Lewis George faces DC Statehood Green Party candidate Robert Gross, independent Rhonda Hamilton and 11 write-in candidates.

Lewis George, a self-described democratic socialist, easily won the Democratic primary in June. She captured 54% of the vote and far outpaced six rivals, including former council member Kenyan McDuffie.

The election will determine who succeeds Mayor Muriel Bowser, who decided not to run again after three terms. Federal leaders retain significant control over local affairs, including approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C. Council, and President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to challenge the city’s limited autonomy.

About three of every four voters in Washington are registered Democrats, and the city has elected only Democratic mayors since residents gained the right to elect local officials under Home Rule in 1973. Republicans did not field a mayoral candidate in this year’s race.

Last year, President Donald Trump briefly federalized the city’s police force and deployed the National Guard after announcing a crime emergency. He has also ordered major construction projects that, if they survive court challenges, would change the district’s landscape.

Lewis George has pledged to aggressively stand up to federal intervention into Washington’s affairs, setting up a potential showdown with Trump over his administration’s moves to challenge the city’s limited autonomy.

She has already come under fire from Trump, who before the primary threatened to place the city under federal control if she won. Lewis George responded that threatening home rule “because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself.” Trump has not mentioned her publicly in months.

Bowser said her achievements include improvements in public education and preserving the city’s limited autonomy amid pressure from Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. Her third four-year term is scheduled to end Jan. 2, when her successor will take office.