Washington D.C. Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George announced her candidacy for mayor on Monday, after Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said she would not seek re-election. George, who has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and has advocated reallocating police funds and expanding rent control, is running as the city navigates an evolving relationship with the federal government.
Janeese Lewis George, the councilwoman for Ward 4 in Washington D.C., launched her bid for mayor on Monday after incumbent Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said she would not seek re-election, according to the Daily Wire. In her announcement video, George said, “it’s time we had leaders who fight for the people, who stand up to corruption and greed and stand with the people who make D.C. work.”
George, a progressive Democrat, has a record of left-leaning policy positions. During her 2024 bid for city council, she was endorsed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). A February 2024 DSA press release stated, “She understands the realities that families, workers, and tenants face and governs every day with empathy to those realities.” The same release noted that George “has advocated to expand rent control in the city, led on a Green New Deal for Social Housing, and has introduced legislation to hold slumlords accountable for terrible living conditions,” according to the DSA.
On policing, George has repeatedly called for shifting money away from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to social programs. In October 2019, she wrote in a social media post, “I will absolutely divest from MPD and put that money into violence interruption programs. Full stop.” In 2020, she told ABC News that she supported defunding the department, saying, “It’s no longer sounding like a radical idea. It’s sounding like a logical idea for many.” As reported by DCist in 2020 and summarized by the Daily Wire, she has defended her stance by pointing to her experience as a former prosecutor.
The mayoral race is unfolding against the backdrop of D.C.’s complex relationship with the Trump administration, which, according to the Daily Wire, has been described as cordial yet critical since federal troops and officers were deployed to the city over the summer. Bowser, speaking in August about efforts to reduce crime, said, “We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer.”
The next mayor will be responsible for managing the District’s interactions with federal officials. The Daily Wire reports that this will likely include working with the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, whom the outlet identifies as Jeanine Pirro and describes as leading the federal government’s efforts to crack down on crime in the city.
Editor’s note: Public records and widely available biographical information indicate that Jeanine Pirro has not served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; she is a former New York judge and prosecutor and a television commentator. The Daily Wire’s description of her role appears to be inaccurate, and no corroborating evidence from official or independent sources supports that specific claim. As a result, this detail should be treated with caution.
