Democratic socialist poised to succeed Bowser as DC mayor after McDuffie concedes

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Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George is poised to become the next mayor of Washington, D.C., after opponent Kenyan McDuffie conceded Thursday morning.

Decision Desk HQ has yet to call the race, but Lewis George, who serves on the D.C. Council, holds a double-digit lead over McDuffie with about 53 percent of the vote.

“Earlier this morning, I called Councilmember Janeese Lewis George to congratulate her on her victory and wish her success as she prepares for the general election,” McDuffie, a former D.C. Council member, said in a Thursday statement.

His concession puts Lewis George on track to replace outgoing Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) in the solid-blue city. Bowser’s decision to retire after a decade in office set up a high-stakes race to lead the nation’s capital through the remainder of President Trump’s second term.

Tuesday’s Democratic primary was the first contest in two decades without an incumbent on the ballot.

Lewis George and McDuffie had a fundraising edge over the rest of the crowded field, while Lewis-George led in the sparse polling ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

Both top candidates are former prosecutors, and crime and public safety have emerged as chief issues in the race — against the backdrop of increased scrutiny from residents and criticisms from the Trump administration.

Trump last year took federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard in the city, claiming that the nation’s capital had been “overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people.”

The moves put Bowser in the crosshairs of the administration’s crackdown on crime, which was down 35 percent in D.C. in 2024, marking a 30-year low. It dropped 18 percent in 2025, the first year of Trump’s second term, according to data from the District.

Lewis George had tried to portray McDuffie as soft on Trump, while McDuffie suggested Lewis George was soft on crime.

Lewis George, who is likely to sail through and win a four-year term in the mayor’s office this fall, will be tasked with leading the city through the last two years of Trump’s second presidential term.

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