A Democratic socialist councilwoman running for mayor in Washington, D.C., beat fundraising records just hours after launching her campaign.
Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George has reportedly raised enough to receive public financing, breaking a record set by current Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser in the process. She’s running to replace Bowser, who is retiring after her third term.
Lewis George met the public financing goal of $40,000 raised by at least 1,000 donations from district residents in around four hours. Bowser set the record in 2022, but it took her 14 days.
Lewis George celebrated the milestone the same day she launched her campaign.
“DC, I’m so grateful! Thanks to your support, we qualified for public financing in just 4 hours and set a record in qualifying for Fair Elections with more than 1,000 DC donors,” she wrote on X. “This is a people-powered movement, and we are just getting started. Let’s keep up the momentum!”
An update on Monday evening put her over $110,000, with over 1,500 local donors, the Washington Post reported. The support left her with more than $750,000 in her campaign war chest with public funds. A campaign staffer said they were “astounded,” the outlet reported.
Lewis George launched her campaign on Monday and made her run official the following day. The councilwoman is reportedly hoping to match the success of fellow socialist New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. She wants to enlist thousands of volunteers and utilize a similar online presence.
Like Mamdani, Lewis George will aim to pour money into her campaign war chest using the 5-to-1 public donation match. The cap for public financing is 110% the average expenditures of all candidates who were elected mayor in the four previous general elections for mayor. Bowser spent about $4.2 million in the 2022 Democratic primary for mayor.
Lewis George is the first high-profile candidate to declare her candidacy to replace Bowser. With the fundraising, she’s taken an early lead in the race. She’s pledged to lower the cost of living, make the district safer, and to put forward an efficient government.
Fellow councilmembers Robert White and Brooke Pinto denied that they would run for mayor, instead staying the course in running for Washington, D.C., delegate to Congress.
PROGRESSIVE DC COUNCILWOMAN JANEESE LEWIS GEORGE LAUNCHES MAYORAL BID
White, who ran in 2022, said he was “definitely not” running. Pinto said she was “fully committed” to serving the district, but would also not be running.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Lewis George’s campaign for additional comment, but did not receive a response.