Janeese Lewis George, a Ward 4 councilmember and self-identified democratic socialist, leads the DC mayoral primary with 53% of the vote, according to preliminary results from the June 16 election that tested the city’s new ranked-choice voting system for the first time.
Lewis George’s commanding lead over her nearest rival, Kenyan McDuffie, who received 37% of the vote, positions her as the likely Democratic nominee in a race to replace term-limited Mayor Muriel Bowser, according to The 51st. Other candidates trailed far behind: Gary Goodweather received 3%, Rini Sampath 2.9%, Vincent Orange 2.7%, Hope Solomon 1%, and Ernest Johnson 0.5%.
The race marked the debut of ranked-choice voting in DC, where voters could rank up to five candidates rather than selecting just one. This shift was designed to allow voters to express broader political preferences, particularly in crowded races. “People are hearing about it, and they’re eager to learn about it, and they’re voting,” said Lisa D.T. Rice, co-founder and CEO of nonprofit Grow Democracy DC, according to The 51st.
Lewis George’s platform centered on housing affordability, childcare accessibility, and lowering utility bills. McDuffie, also a council member with prosecutorial experience, ran a more moderate campaign emphasizing public safety and pro-business policies. Both are native Washingtonians and former prosecutors, but their visions for the city diverged sharply on economic priorities.
The partial results reflected only first-round votes and excluded some mail ballots. The DC Board of Elections said it planned to publish additional rounds of results by June 21, June 24, and a final set by June 26, according to The 51st. Because ranked-choice voting allows for multiple elimination rounds, any race without a majority winner in the first round moves to another count.
Elsewhere on the ballot, At-Large Councilmember Robert White won the race for congressional delegate with 63% of the vote, according to The 51st, positioning him to succeed Eleanor Holmes Norton after her three decades representing DC in the House.
If Lewis George’s lead holds, she will become the Democratic nominee—a position that has historically determined DC’s next mayor. She would still need to win the November general election, but the Democratic primary has long been the decisive contest in this heavily Democratic city.
Sources
- The 51st — mayoral primary results showing Lewis George with 53% and McDuffie with 37%; details on ranked-choice voting adoption and voter response; Robert White’s delegate race victory; candidate platforms and background
- FairVote — confirmation that June 16 marked DC’s first use of ranked-choice voting
- NBC News — identification of Lewis George as a democratic socialist and council member
- WTOP — confirmation of ranked-choice voting debut in DC primary
- NOTUS — mayoral primary vote percentages and candidate identification
