Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D) officially announced Dec. 1 she would run for Mayor in the 2026 election. She is the first widely-recognized name to officially declare candidacy, releasing a video outlining her platform.
It is the first election in two decades not to feature an incumbent. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced she would not seek re-election Nov. 23, stepping down after 12 years in office.
A few hours after the launch, Lewis-George’s campaign announced that she qualified for Fair Elections funding within four hours, raising an eye-opening $700,000, which they say is a new record for the District.
To qualify for DC’s Fair Elections program a Mayoral candidate must raise at least $40,000 in DC and from at least 1,000 DC donors.
“DC, I’m so grateful! I know we are a people-powered movement but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would surpass fundraising records by this much, this fast,” Lewis-George said in a press release. “This achievement belongs to every community member and volunteer who has chipped in and believes in our shared vision for a safer, more affordable DC with a government that works for everyone,” said Janeese Lewis George, adding that she is deeply appreciative for all the support.
Lewis-George is a DC public school grad who graduated from the Howard University School of Law before going on to work in the Office of Attorney General (OAG) Karl Racine in 2014. A registered Democrat and self-professed “democractic socialist”, she was first elected to represent Ward 4 in 2020, winning against Bowser ally and successor Brandon Todd. She was re-elected in 2024, winning despite accusations from challengers that she was soft on crime.
Lewis-George has been a consistently leftist presence on DC Council, prompting comparisons between her campaign and the successful run by Zohran Mamdani for New York City Mayor. She has the support of local unions, supported a New Green Deal for District housing, participating in Free DC rallies, opposing the extension of the Emergency Youth Curfew Act and has consistently pushed back against a return to law-and-order policies.
Other Candidates?
Small Business Owner Rhonda Hamilton has expressed interest in running for Mayor as an Independent. Businessman Gary Goodweather has declared his candidacy in the Democratic primary.
At-Large Councilmember Kenyon McDuffie is also widely rumored to be considering a mayoral run, now that Bowser has stepped out of the lane that could be occupied by a candidate viewed as more centrist and business-friendly. For McDuffie, a run would come with additional decisions: will he risk his council seat for the mayor’s office? And, in a city where every mayor has been a Democrat since the Home Rule Act in 1973, would he switch party affiliation –forcing him to surrender his seat to run?
McDuffie was elected Councilmember for Ward 5 in 2013 as a Democrat, in 2022 McDuffie elected to run for Attorney General. Found not to be qualified as a “practicing attorney” after a challenge from another cnadidate, McDuffie switched party affiliations from Democrat to Independent to run for an At-Large seat on DC Council. (District regulations state that no more than two at-large councilmembers be nominated from the same political party). McDuffie won the second At-Large seat behind Democrat incumbent Anita Bonds, displacing former Independent Councilmember Elissa Silverman. He is up for re-election as Councilmember in 2026 but cannot appear on the ballot more than once.
