Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George wins DC mayoral primary

Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for D.C. mayor in the first round of ranked choice voting, the Associated Press called Thursday. Former At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie conceded the mayoral Democratic primary Thursday to Lewis George, a self described democratic socialist who positioned herself to the left of incumbent D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is not running for a fourth term. At-Large Councilmember Robert White also routed Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto — who represents Foggy Bottom on the D.C. Council — in the race to become D.C.’s next non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives after the current representative, Eleanor Holmes Norton, announced she will not be seeking reelection this year. The AP called both races — White on Wednesday and Lewis George on Thursday — however, the elections are not fully finalized by the D.C. Board of Elections due to delays in the ranked choice ballot counting. The races set up Lewis George and White for a likely victory in the November general election, as D.C. is overwhelmingly Democratic. This year’s primary races in D.C. were the first time the District used a ranked choice voting system, where voters are able to rank up to five candidates in an order based on preference. If no candidate receives 50 percent or more of the first choice votes, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the ballots of voters who ranked the eliminated candidate first will then have their second choice counted as their vote. D.C. voters overwhelmingly chose to adopt the system in 2024 after approving a ballot measure intended to implement the system in all D.C. elections. Both Lewis George and White secured a majority of the vote — Lewis George with 52.9 percent and White with 62.9 percent — in the first round of ranked choice voting. Janeese Lewis George likely to become D.C.’s next mayor after winning primary McDuffie conceded the mayoral primary to Lewis George Thursday morning, with the AP calling the race for Lewis George a few hours later. Lewis George, McDuffie and other candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary competed to replace Bowser, who has governed D.C. for over a decade and opted not to run for reelection last year. Bowser did not give a reason for her decision to not run for reelection, but some of her advisers said President Donald Trump’s meddling in D.C., like last year’s federal takeover, contributed to Bowser’s decision to not seek reelection. Bowser declined to make an endorsement in the race to pick her successor, but hinted at her support for McDuffie’s candidacy in an interview with Axios last week, where she said she had “always supported” McDuffie. Lewis George and McDuffie emerged as clear front runners early in the race, with both candidates leading in the polls — especially in the weeks leading up to the primary date. Lewis George centered her message around improving social services like childcare for D.C. residents, while McDuffie said his focus, if elected, would be on boosting economic growth in the District. Lewis George outraised McDuffie by a slight amount according to their respective financial disclosure forms. Lewis George’s campaign also faced scrutiny after the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance found last week her campaign had improperly coordinated with labor unions and ordered them to pay $16,000 in fines. D.C. has never elected a Republican mayor and the Democratic nominee for mayor typically wins by double-digit margins. D.C. native Robert White wins Democratic nomination for D.C. delegate Five Democratic primary candidates were vying to replace Norton for D.C.’s nonvoting congressional seat, aiming to serve as the District’s third Congressional representative. Norton, an 88-year-old Democrat first elected in 1990, is the longest-serving D.C. delegate after the seat was established in 1970. Norton announced she was ending her campaign for reelection in January 2026 after questions about her ability to serve due to her age. The race’s frontrunners, Pinto and White, both currently sit on the D.C. Council, serving Ward 2 and the District at-large, respectively. The AP called the race for White shortly after midnight Wednesday morning, setting him up to become D.C.’s next Congressional representative in the Democratic stronghold. He will be running against Republican Denise Rosado — who won her unopposed primary — and Green Party member Kymone Freeman. Throughout his campaign, White emphasized his focus on establishing D.C. statehood and fighting for the city’s autonomy from federal interference, including Trump’s threats to federalize the city and the influx of National Guard troops stationed across the wards. “My election means we’re going to keep our independence and we’re going to get statehood. People know I’m not going to lay down. I’m going to fight,” White told The Associated Press after the agency declared his win. Pinto — who has represented Ward 2, which includes Foggy Bottom, since 2020 when she became the youngest council member sworn into office at 28 — chairs the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee and has championed harsher penalties for certain crimes and the reestablishment of drug-free zones in the District. Pinto will maintain her seat on the council after winning reelection unopposed in 2024. Pinto’s campaign came under fire in April after it released a now-archived 67-page dossier containing opposition research, which included personal information on White and his family. White called on Pinto to withdraw from the campaign on April 13 and said the release of the dossier was a violation of “basic decency.” Pinto subsequently apologized and said the information about White was publicly available but that it should have been redacted.