Janeese Lewis George will be Washington's next mayor, the Associated Press projected on election night Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The 38-year-old D.C. Council member becomes the city's first democratic socialist mayor. She will be sworn in Jan. 2, succeeding Mayor Muriel Bowser, who did not seek a fourth term after more than a decade leading the city.

Lewis George ran practically unopposed in the general election, WUSA9 reported, defeating D.C. Statehood Green Party candidate Robert L. Gross, independent candidate Rhonda Hamilton and 11 write-in candidates. She had won 54% of the vote in the June 16 Democratic primary, which was called in her favor two days after the election.

In coverage published Nov. 4, the 51st reported Lewis George told supporters at her election night party: "It's a new day for D.C. … Tonight, we are living proof that you don't have to choose between loving your city and fighting to make it better."

Trump looms over new administration

Lewis George takes office with President Donald Trump already targeting her. Before the June primary, Trump said he might revoke the city's self-governance if she won.

"Well, I wouldn't like it," Trump said, according to WUSA9. "And maybe we'd take back Washington and run it on the federal basis. We won't put up with it."

After her primary victory, Trump called her a "Communist" on social media. Lewis George called Trump's remarks an attack on democracy, WUSA9 reported.

In a statement responding to Trump, Lewis George said she was willing to work with the administration "to improve the lives of DC residents" but would "stand up to anyone who puts our city or its residents in harm's way," according to WUSA9.

According to Fox 5 DC, Lewis George said she has held discussions with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to build coalitions protecting city autonomy. She is also preparing legal defenses with D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, Fox 5 reported.

The 1973 Home Rule Act that allows D.C. residents to elect local officials also preserves Congress' authority over city affairs. Emily Cassometus, director of the Legislation Clinic at the University of the District of Columbia's law school, told the AP that Congress "can essentially veto any bill we pass here."

More than 2,900 National Guard troops remain on D.C. streets after a deployment that began in August 2025, the AP reported. Plans call for keeping them through January 2029. A federal appeals court is weighing the legality of that deployment after a lower court ruled it illegal in November 2025.

Budget gap and affordability

The new mayor inherits a difficult fiscal picture. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has warned the District faces an estimated $650 million funding gap in fiscal year 2028 to maintain programs supported by one-time funding, 7News reported in October. The 51st reported the gap could stretch upward of $800 million.

Federal workforce cuts compounded the problem. The District accounted for a fifth of roughly 100,000 job losses in the region, driven largely by the Department of Government Efficiency overhaul, the AP reported. The city expects revenue to drop by hundreds of millions of dollars, prompting the D.C. Council to consider tax increases.

Lewis George's campaign focused on affordability. She pitched universal childcare, more than 70,000 new housing units and lower utility costs, the 51st reported. She pledged to end cooperation between the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within her first 100 days, according to 7News.

She also promised not to balance the budget on working families. "I will not be taxing working families of the district and working people," she told 7News. She did not rule out other tax changes.

Who is Lewis George?

Lewis George grew up in Northwest D.C., attending local public schools including School Without Walls for high school, according to WUSA9. She earned her law degree from Howard University and worked as an assistant attorney general for the District from 2016 to 2019.

She won her Ward 4 Council seat in 2020 as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeating Brandon T. Todd, a political ally of Bowser. She was the first democratic socialist on the D.C. Council since Hilda Mason lost her at-large seat in 1998.

D.C.'s Office of Campaign Finance (OCF) fined her campaign $16,000 during the race for improperly coordinating with labor unions and a super PAC, WUSA9 reported. Lewis George called the fine politically motivated.

The general sales tax is already scheduled to rise from 6% to 7% on Oct. 1, 2027, one of the fiscal realities awaiting Lewis George when she takes office in January.