Janice Lewis George Poised to Become Next Mayor of Washington, D.C.

Janice Lewis George, a socialist member of the Washington, D.C. City Council, appears set to become the next mayor after her recent Democratic primary win.

On Thursday, her main rival, Kenyan McDuffie, announced his exit from the race. By the afternoon, the primary for far-left candidates was officially called.

The City Council has previously referred to George as “D.C.’s version of George,” drawing a parallel to New York City’s mayor, according to Zoran Mamdani.

In a city leaning heavily Democratic, George’s primary success paves the way for the upcoming general election in November. She is likely to succeed current Mayor Muriel Bowser, who opted out of seeking reelection.

George has often expressed her criticism of President Donald Trump. As Democratic opposition to his administration remains strong, a notable part of George’s campaign has revolved around her disapproval of Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in D.C., which she considers a critical issue.

“Like many of you, I am shocked and outraged by President Trump’s announcement that he is weaponizing the Home Rule Act by deploying the National Guard and exercising authority over the Metropolitan Police Department. This is a direct attack on D.C.’s 700,000 residents, and we will not tolerate it,” she stated in an August 2025 commentary on the matter.

While Bowser indicated a willingness to work with the Trump administration on crime issues, particularly juvenile crime, George contends that the real danger to the city’s youth arises from “federal forces” and “masked ICE agents.”

“At this point, it’s dangerous to use curfews as a tool for young people,” she expressed during a preliminary debate. “We have federal troops in our streets; we have masked ICE agents, and they are dangerous because they are the people who are enforcing this law, and they are our young people.”

“As mayor, I think it’s important to use the right tools and make sure that we don’t put young people at risk of being harmed or killed without the real oversight that they need,” she added.

President Trump has indicated he might consider sending federal authorities to D.C. if certain conditions aren’t met.

When asked by reporters about the impact of a potential George victory, Trump responded, “I don’t want that. And they might take back Washington and run the government on a federal basis.”

“We’re not going to hold back. We’re not going to lose business,” he noted during a recent White House briefing.

In addition to McDuffie, George faced five other candidates who garnered very few votes: Rini Sampath, Gary Goodweather, Ernest Johnson, Hope Solomon, and Vincent Orange.

In the upcoming general election, George will compete against Robert Gross, the Green Party primary winner.