Eight months after New York handed City Hall to a democratic socialist, Washington, DC appears ready to follow suit. Janeese Lewis George, a former prosecutor, leads the field, preaching the same message of affordability that carried Zohran Mamdani to power.
DC residents head to the polls today to vote in the mayoral primary after Muriel Bowser decided not to stand for reelection. In the deepest of blue areas, the winner of the Democratic primary race is almost certain to be its next mayor.
The primary has become an ideological tug-of-war between the Democratic party’s socialist wing and its business-aligned establishment. Lewis George runs as the candidate of the progressive coalition. Kenyan McDuffie, who is backed by much of the city’s establishment, runs as the centrist alternative and self-styled fiscal realist. Gary Goodweather, a businessman and Army veteran with a Johns Hopkins finance degree, fills the outsider lane with sweeping ideas, providing what one voter called “comedic relief”.
Lewis George leads McDuffie by 11 points among likely primary voters, holding that double-digit edge even after ranked-choice second and third picks are counted. A quarter of voters remain undecided heading into primary day, though her supporters report firmer commitment and a stronger turnout record.
