Thursday, June 18, 2026
For those who haven’t been paying attention, here’s a local news flash: a political earthquake has occurred in Washington.
A new era in D.C. politics is about to begin, as Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George is set to become Mayor of Washington, D.C., in 2027.
She declared victory today at a press conference at Busboys & Poets on 14th Street, saying she will be “Mayor of everybody … one D.C. united.”
Lewis George is leading the D.C. mayoral primary election with 53 percent, according to the DC Board of Elections with 73 percent of ballots counted so far.
Her main opponent, Democrat Kenyan McDuffie, behind with 36 percent of the vote, conceded defeat earlier today and said in a statement: “While the final certification process will continue, it is clear that the voters have chosen a different path.” He said he phoned Lewis George to congratulate her.
Lewis George will replace Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is retiring after three terms, and she would make history as a democratic socialist mayor. Stepping away from Bowser’s softer approach to President Trump, Lewis George has vowed to “not back down” from Trump’s administration.
Last week, Trump had a last-minute comment on the election, threatening to take over D.C. and pause home rule by running Washington on a “federal basis.”
Elsewhere on the June 16 ballot, Robert White is the projected winner of the D.C. non-voting delegate for Congress, ending the streak of Eleanor Holmes Norton who has represented the city in the House since 1991. White easily defeated fellow Council member Brooke Pinto and Kinney Zalesne, former employee at the Democratic National Committee.
This primary election is monumental as it’s the first conducted under the District’s new ranked-choice voting system. Instead of voting for just one candidate, voters are allowed to rank up to five candidates, in order of preference.
Lewis George led in seven of the eight wards across D.C., only behind McDuffie in affluent Ward 3. She will join democratic socialists Oye Owelewa and Aparna Raj, leading the D.C. Council races, progressive Robert White for non-voting delegate and Elissa Silverman as council member to replace McDuffie.
White has previously served on Norton’s staff, bringing confidence to the nonvoting representative seat. Pinto congratulated White on his win in a statement on Wednesday, saying “as this election season closes, let’s all remember we are on the same team in D.C.” They ran a fiery campaign against each other, disagreeing on teen curfew zones. Pinto retains her Ward 2 council seat. In her conceding statement, Zalesne congratulated White and pledged to continue to advance D.C. statehood and defend home rule.
In her election night speech at the Howard Theater, Mayor-elect Lewis George said, “Let’s show them what the government can do.” She had a focused campaign on youth voters and anti-Trump progressives, while McDuffie ran a more moderate campaign pertaining to older voters.
This election has shown a distinct progressive shift in the District, focusing on progressive labor and democratic socialist values. Phil Mendelson, unopposed chairperson, is a more moderate Democrat whose new term may balance this out.
Results have not been certified, as the ballots continue to be counted. Round-by-round results will be available June 21, according BOE.