DSA-linked DC councilmember mounts mayoral bid to succeed Bowser

A D.C. councilmember with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has announced a bid for mayor of the nation’s capital.

Councilmember Janeese Lewis George is aiming to succeed long-serving Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is not pursuing re-election.

The progressive Democrat said in a statement that “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 added.

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Bowswer, who has been in office since 2015, announced last month that she will not run for a fourth term.

“DC is a place that honors and celebrates its leaders. We will always be grateful for Mayor Bowser’s devoted public service and impactful leadership,” Lewis George said in a post responding to Bowser’s announcement.

The mayoral hopeful first won her seat on the council in a 2020 election, in which she was supported by the DSA. Upon her victory, the Metro D.C. chapter of the organization congratulated her in a press release that referred to her as “our chapter member and endorsed candidate[.]”

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Earlier this year, when President Donald Trump moved to leverage the National Guard and D.C. Metropolitan Police Department to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, Lewis George was a vocal critic.

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“Like many of you, I am shocked and outraged that President Trump has announced he is weaponizing the Home Rule Act by deploying the National Guard and exercising authority over the Metropolitan Police Department. This is a direct attack on the 700,000 residents of DC and we will not stand for it,” she said in part of a statement.