District of Columbia Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George, a socialist, will run for mayor, she announced Monday.
Rumors had swirled around George’s mayoral intentions for weeks after fellow socialist and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani found electoral success.
George is the first high-profile candidate to enter the race to succeed retiring Mayor Muriel Bowser. Her campaign launch video fixated on affordability, public safety, and how she will fight President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
The DC I know is worth fighting for.
I’m Janeese Lewis George, and I’m running for Mayor. pic.twitter.com/7ZI3dojxxh
— Janeese Lewis George (@Janeese4DC) December 1, 2025
“Rent’s rising in homes people can’t afford,” George said in the video, which is upbeat and mobile. “Folks working hard and still feeling the squeeze, while the few in power rake in profits.”
“And now, our neighbors, our families, under attack, because we are failing to stand up to defend them,” she added. “That’s not the D.C. I know. That’s why I’m running for mayor, because it’s time we had leaders who fight for the people.”
George became D.C.’s first socialist councilmember in decades when she took office representing Ward 4 in 2021. The 37-year-old primaried former Bowser aide and Councilman Brandon Todd in 2020, winning the Democratic nomination by double digits.
She easily fended off primary challengers last year to recapture her council seat for another term.
George told the Washington Post that she is focusing on affordability, public safety, and government efficiency in her race.
“How do we make this city more affordable, safe and have a government that actually works for everyone — where you call 911 and the call gets answered, where you put in a [request] for a traffic safety improvement and you get a speed bump on your street?” she said. “It just takes leadership and courage to solve these problems, and that’s what this race is about for me.”
George is known for being a progressive voice on the council, sometimes withholding her support for certain legislative items unless they include her preferred policy items. She voted for a crime bill last year after she succeeded in keeping the threshold that would make a theft a felony at $1,000. Other councilmembers proposed decreasing it to $500, but she opposed the move, saying it would give more people felony records.
She asked for an amendment to make it a felony if a person stole more than once in a six-month period items that cost more than $1,000 combined.
George has also fought against President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Washington.
“Since Day One of the federal occupation of DC, I have urged @DCAttorneyGen to use every legal tool available to protect the rights of the District’s residents,” she wrote on X.
The race could be the first competitive mayoral election in Washington since Bowser was elected to her first term in 2014. Others are expected to enter the race in the coming months.
Independent D.C. Councilman at-Large Kenyan McDuffie has said he is giving his own mayoral bid “serious consideration.”
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“The outreach and encouragement I’ve received so far has been nothing short of humbling, and it reinforces the importance of this moment for the District,” McDuffie told Axios in late October. “I do not have a decision to announce today, but when the time is right, I will share my plans for 2026 with you.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the George campaign for additional comment but did not receive a response.