Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George won Washington, D.C.’s Democratic mayoral primary on June 18, clinching the nomination to replace retiring Mayor Muriel Bowser, but President Trump signaled immediate resistance to her victory, saying earlier this week that he “won’t put up with” a Lewis George administration.
Lewis George, a Ward 4 councilmember, defeated her main rival Kenyan McDuffie by a wide margin in the ranked-choice primary held June 16. McDuffie conceded Thursday morning as updated results solidified Lewis George’s lead, according to Fox News, NBC News, and The Associated Press.
In an overwhelmingly Democratic city with no significant Republican challenger expected in November, Lewis George’s primary victory virtually assures her election as mayor in the general election. She will face Trump’s federal presence in the capital directly: the president maintains a deployment of the National Guard to D.C. and has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Home Rule Act to seize control of the city if she became mayor.
Trump made those threats explicit before the primary. “I wouldn’t like it — and maybe we’ll take back Washington and run it on the federal basis,” Trump said when asked about a Lewis George victory. “We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses,” according to reporting from NBC4 Washington, Fox News, and The Washington Post. A Fox News video posted June 19 showed Trump’s chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reporting that Trump “won’t put up with” Lewis George winning the DC mayor race.
Lewis George, who identifies as a democratic socialist and is described by Fox News as “D.C.’s version of” New York City’s Zohran Mamdani, has centered her campaign on resisting Trump’s federal control of the capital. During her tenure on the city council, she opposed Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and has called for expanded social services including universal childcare and support for affordable housing.
The incoming mayor and Trump are on a collision course over D.C.’s autonomy. Lewis George has pledged to fight Trump’s federal takeover threats, while Trump has made clear he views her progressive policies as a threat to the capital. Unlike her predecessor Bowser, who sometimes cooperated with the Trump administration on crime reduction, Lewis George has criticized federal law enforcement presence in the city, arguing that masked ICE agents and federal troops pose a danger to young residents.
Sources
- Fox News — Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George wins DC mayoral primary; Trump’s stance on her candidacy and prior threats to invoke Home Rule Act
- NBC News — Lewis George’s primary victory and Trump’s quoted response
- The Associated Press — Lewis George primary win confirmation
- NBC4 Washington — Trump’s statement “won’t put up with” and Lewis George’s victory
- The Washington Post — Trump’s threatened federal takeover and Lewis George’s background
- Al Jazeera — Lewis George’s platform and Trump’s takeover threats
