The two-term councilmember enters the race as the progressive hopeful: a self-declared democratic socialist looking to capitalize on anger over President Trump’s aggressive interference in local affairs and Zohran Mamdani’s surprising victory in New York City’s mayoral race last month.
But Lewis George, 37, won’t be alone for long: Sources close to At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie tell The 51st that he’s meeting with campaign consultants this week, hinting that his own entry into the mayoral race isn’t so much a question of if, but rather when. (Local developer Gary Goodweather has also launched a campaign for mayor.)
“Too many residents still feel squeezed financially, from unaffordable housing to child care, and feel unsafe in their neighborhoods,” said Lewis George in a statement announcing her candidacy. (She also released a slickly produced video.) “Residents face uneven access to opportunity and a city government that on its best days feels unresponsive, and on its worst, is leaving residents out in the cold all because leaders have chosen to prioritize the needs of the well-connected over us. That’s wrong, it’s not the D.C. we should be and that's why I’m running for mayor.”
And her campaign has gotten off to a quick start: Within four hours of announcing her mayoral run, Lewis George said the campaign had raised the required $40,000 in small-dollar contributions from at least 1,000 D.C. residents that’s required to qualify for public funding under the city’s Fair Elections program. (The campaign says Bowser took 14 days to similarly qualify during her re-election bid in 2022.) Lewis George will now receive a $160,000 base payment, and $5 in public funds for every $1 she raises from residents. (The maximum a mayoral candidate can receive in public funds is $3.4 million.)
She has also remained a steadfast member of the council’s progressive wing, even as that faction has lost some influence in recent years. (Her campaign chairman is Tommy Wells, who himself ran for mayor as a progressive in 2014.) In 2023, Lewis George was one of the few lawmakers who voted against a bill that would expand pre-trial detention for people accused of committing violent crimes; more recently she also voted against extending the city’s expanded youth curfew, citing concerns over the ongoing presence of federal agents and the National Guard. Lewis George also voted against the RENTAL Act, Bowser’s bill to help struggling landlords by speeding some evictions, and loudly argued against a provision the council added to the city’s 2026 budget that partially repeals the voter-approved initiative that was phasing out the tipped wage paid to restaurant workers.
While her campaign so far isn’t mirroring Mamdani’s initial big-ticket promises to voters – free buses and childcare, and freezing rent on rent-controlled apartments — Lewis George is hinting at ambitious proposals to come. She says she will work to expand the city’s rent-control law, which currently only applies to buildings constructed before 1975; promises universal afterschool programs; wants to cap the prices of concert tickets offered by resellers; and pledges big investments in renewable energy as a means to bring down electricity prices.
Lewis George is also tapping into growing anger over how Bowser navigated the complicated relationship with President Trump, notably the Metropolitan Police Department’s continued cooperation with ICE agents on immigration enforcement.
“I think the job of mayor is to protect and defend residents, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not complying in advance. I’m going to have moral clarity and courage,” she told The 51st. “I will work with whomever on the issues our city is facing. What I will not do is not defend the people and our families.”
On some issues, though, Lewis George doesn’t deviate that dramatically from Bowser. She says one way she wants to make the city more affordable is to build more housing; Bowser oversaw the construction of tens of thousands of new housing units herself. Still, Lewis George tells The 51st that she wants to pursue her vision of social housing, and put stricter new requirements on how public funds are used to build affordable housing.
And much like Mamdani – who was critical of police but still decided to keep New York City’s current police commissioner in place – Lewis George says she supports Bowser’s push to expand MPD’s ranks to 4,000 officers, up from the 3,200 today. “We have to have more officers because right now we are spending millions in overtime,” she tells The 51st.
That position hints at one possible vulnerability that many of the progressive candidates running for office in D.C. concede they face – public safety. (In endorsement questionnaires submitted this fall to the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, five council candidates admitted the issue could be the most challenging for them.) In her campaign video, the first issue Lewis George addresses is crime, citing her experience as a juvenile prosecutor in the office of the D.C. attorney general.
“I don’t see crime as an issue that is scary as a progressive. It’s an issue I am prepared to lead on because I have led on it. Public safety issues and crime are a disease, and you have to approach them as such. You have to attack the symptoms, and it is multi-pronged and multilayered. I lean into public safety because I am excited to solve them,” she says. (Lewis George won a second term in office in 2024, defeating two challengers who tried to paint her as soft on crime.)
Lewis George’s progressive vision for D.C. could also prompt questions about how practical it is. While Bowser enjoyed years of a growing economy and ever-increasing revenue, Trump’s sweeping changes to the federal government and a continuing hangover from the pandemic have slowed economic growth and led to tighter city budgets.
More details about Lewis George’s platform will be fleshed out in the weeks to come. “I’m going to be rolling out my plans,” she says. “Part of that is listening to other people so I am creating a vision that is for all of D.C.”
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