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.
Her legislative agenda has sought to address issues like affordable housing, crime reduction, improving education and other issues.
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.
She 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.
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 she would do differently as mayor
Lewis George has been a critic of Bowser and is seen by many as similar to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
“As you know, D.C. and NYC are different,” Lewis George told News4. “Obviously, there are going to be some things that we share. I believe that we need a more affordable D.C. I believe we need a safer D.C., and I do need to think we need a government that is effective and works for the people, and so that’s the race I’m running.”
When asked what she would do differently from Bower when it comes to Trump and Congress’ threats to D.C. Home rule, she told News4, “I feel the job of a mayor is to protect its people, to fight for its people in this moment. And for me, that is going to look like working with our attorney general, being arm in arm with our attorney general, and using every tool we have to fight back against intrusion over D.C. government and for autonomy.”
When it comes to changes to the ways the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) works with federal law enforcement, and particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she also said she wants to emphasize “making sure our officers don’t have to do that work. They can do the work they have been charged with doing, that taxpayers pay them to do, which is protecting D.C residents.”
In terms of MPD leadership, she told News4 that, if elected, “there would have to be some changes.”
“Obviously, with any new mayoral administration, you’re going to make some changes, but I’ve heard officers loud and clear who have spoken to me and said, We need a cultural change within the police department because it’s not working for us,’ and we’re going to retain officers and we’re going to bring officers in. That cultural shift has to happen.”
When asked if she would hire a new police chief, she said, “I would I would be vetting to see, you know, what who’s going to be the best police chief to come in. I’ve had a great relationship with Chief Smith and I know she is also someone who loves and fights for the Ddistrict. But we have to talk about, you know, it would be me listening on the ground to the officers and saying what type of leadership do you need and making those changes, and so if that’s what I hear on the ground from officers, then those are the changes I’m going to be willing to make.”
What’s next?
While Lewis George is the first major candidate to announce her mayoral campaign, she is expected to have competition.
Five candidates in addition to her have already filed to run: Rhonda Hamilton, Regan Jones, Robert Gross, and James McMorris.
Ward 5 Councilmember, Kenyan McDuffie, also told News4 last week that he will be making a decision on whether or not to run very soon.
News4 asked Mayor Bowser if she plans to endorse anyone to replace her. She says she has not made a decision yet.
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.
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