The Washington, D.C., Board of Elections has rescinded a $16,000 fine levied against socialist Janeese Lewis George days before she won the mayoral Democratic primary against former Councilman Kenyan McDuffie.
The district’s elections board heard a hearing de novo request from Lewis George on Wednesday, as she asked the board to reconsider the Office of Campaign Finance’s June ruling against her, which concluded she had improperly coordinated with labor unions and an independent expenditure committee supporting her mayoral candidacy. The elections board vacated that ruling from the campaign finance office during the Wednesday meeting.
“I am gratified by the Board of Elections’ decision and look forward to continuing this campaign to serve the people of D.C.,” Lewis George said on Wednesday.
The Office of Campaign Finance released its initial findings report just four days ahead of Lewis George’s June 16 primary against McDuffie. Her team challenged the ruling and argued to the Board of Elections that the order was out of line.
In a press release on Wednesday, Lewis George’s campaign said they told the elections board that the OCF’s ruling “violated DC procedural requirements, included multiple false statements about its own investigation, misrepresented the Campaign’s statements and positions, offered no evidence in support of their conclusions, and was simply wrong on the law.”
Kevin Sobkoviak, who had previously unsuccessfully tried to recall Councilman Charles Allen, filed the complaint against Lewis George in April. Sobkoviak alleged that Lewis George’s campaign had improperly coordinated with labor organizations, including Unite Here Local 25 and Service Employees International Union 32BJ, Workers Vote, and Safe & Affordable DC, an independent expenditure committee supporting her candidacy. The OFC had reviewed various campaign finance records and audit materials to rule in support of Sobkoviak’s allegations.
But Wednesday’s move from the Board of Elections vacates the OFC’s order and the $16,000 fine against Lewis George’s campaign.
“We said in June that the order was a politically motivated, reckless, and factually inaccurate attempt to derail our campaign just four days before the primary election, and today’s BOE decision affirms our position,” Lewis George’s campaign said in the press release.
The Board of Elections found that Lewis George had “leased” some of her staff members from local unions, but ruled that there was no improper coordination between the parties, according to the Washington Sun.
In deep-blue Washington, D.C., Lewis George is expected to be a shoo-in for the mayoral win in November as the Democratic Party’s nominee. Her main challenger is Robert Gross of the D.C. Statehood Green Party.