Councilmember Janeese Lewis George announces run for DC mayor

Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George announced Monday she is running to be D.C.’s next mayor.

“I will work with anyone to improve the lives of people here at home, and I will stand up to anyone who gets in our way,” Lewis George said in the announcement statement.

In her announcement, she said she will focus on making D.C. safe and affordable while “creating a government that listens and delivers.“

“But too many residents still feel squeezed financially, from unaffordable housing to childcare, and feel unsafe in their neighborhoods. 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 DC we should be and that’s why I’m running for Mayor,” she said in the announcement.

Lewis George posted an official campaign video on YouTube called “The DC I Know” where she shared how she plans to fight for D.C., the city that raised her.

The announcement comes after Mayor Muriel Bowser said last week that she will not be seeking reelection.

Who is Janeese Lewis George?

First elected to the D.C. Council in 2020, Lewis George is a third-generation Washingtonian and a graduate of D.C. Public Schools, according to her website.

In her announcement, she cited her mother, who was a a union postal worker and a lunch lady in D.C., for teaching her “the value of hard work, public service, and to lift others as we climb.”

The progressive councilmember holds a law degree from Howard University and worked for former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine as the assistant attorney general in the juvenile section of the public safety division.

She was first elected to Ward 4’s council seat in 2020, where she beat out Bowser-backed incumbent Brandon Todd by nearly 12 points, according to D.C. Board of Elections official results.

In her 2024 bid for reelection, she faced two Democratic primary challenges but still won the primary with over 66% of the vote, D.C. Board of Elections official results. She was uncontested in the general.

Lewis George, who is in her second term as Ward 4’s representative on the D.C. Council, has repeatedly described herself as “people-first.” She has also described herself as a democratic socialist.

Her legislative agenda has sought to address issues like affordable housing, crime reduction, improving education and other issues.

Lewis George is currently the chair of the council’s Committee on Facilities and sits on the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor and the Committee on Public Works and Operations.

As for where a Lewis George mayorship could draw inspiration from, she told News4 at a recent event with Bowser, “… I mean, I always say I’m a daughter of the District who puts people first, and that’s always what I’ve been about. Being a daughter of the District who puts people first, and I think what [New York City Mayor-elect Zohran] Mamdani’s done in New York City is great. A mayor who I think has been amazing as well is Michelle Wu in Boston, and I really love her leadership style.”

Lewis George currently resides in Ward 4’s Manor Park with her husband, son and dog, according to her website.

What she’s said about the federal surge

She has also been outspoken against the federal surge in D.C.

“This gross federal overreach isn’t about justice and it’s certainly not safety,” she said in a statement responding to President Donald Trump’s announcement he would be deploying the National Guard to the District. “It’s an attack on our autonomy and, as a native Washingtonian, I will fight this hostile takeover with everything I have.”

In September, she held a Free D.C. rally with Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey to urge Congress to take action to protect District residents.

“It’s devastating to our community,” she said at the rally. “It is devastating, it is unacceptable, it is cruel and it has no place in this city or no place in this country.”

In November, Lewis George was the lone vote against extending the police chief’s authority to designate youth curfew zones. She cited the federal surge as a deciding factor in her vote.

“Since August, things have changed. Federal troops have been patrolling our city. My constituents call me every day overwhelmed and terrified by the increased law enforcement presence,” she said. “This is why we cannot continue to implement tools or solutions that increase surveillance and invite more policing of our kids right now in this moment. This city is occupied. Let’s not mince words about it. It is occupied, and I think we are taking a huge risk with young lives by voting yes on a curfew right now. This morning I asked if we could be sure there would be no federal involvement in enforcing the curfew, and the answer was ‘no.’”

What’s next?

Five candidates in addition to Lewis George have already filed to run: Rhonda Hamilton, Regan Jones, Robert Gross, and James McMorris.

Candidates are able to pick up petitions to get on the ballot in January, which means more could declare candidacy until then. Candidates must collect at least 3,000 signatures or 1.5% of the total number of duly registered electors in the District, whichever is smaller, according to the D.C. Board of Elections.

If Lewis George wins the mayorship, a special election would be held to fill her D.C. Council seat.