DC Mayor-Elect Janeese Lewis George Promises 72,000 New Housing Units

by Snejana Farberov

Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George has been elected the first new mayor of Washington, DC, in 12 years after breezing past a crowded field to cap off a campaign focused on affordability.

The Associated Press called the election for Lewis George before 7 p.m. Tuesday, reflecting her commanding lead over Rhonda Hamilton, a community advocate running as an independent; Robert L. Gross, representing the DC Statehood Green Party, and 11 write-in candidates. That race did not include a Republican contender.

The win potentially places Lewis George, a 38-year-old D.C. Council member, on a collision course with President Donald Trump, who previously labeled her a "communist" and suggested that she was a threat to the safety and prosperity of the nation's capital.

"The people of D.C. elect the mayor of D.C., and I am willing to work with this administration to the benefit of D.C. residents," Lewis George told FOX 5 DC after her victory. "And I'm also willing to stand up to this administration when it comes to doing just that."

Lewis George will replace outgoing Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who decided last year not to seek reelection for a fourth term.

"Congratulations to Mayor-Elect Janeese Lewis George," Bowser wrote on X Wednesday morning. "I’ll run through the tape and support a seamless transition. I love you, DC."

When she is sworn in on Jan. 2, Lewis George will become DC's first democratic socialist mayor, joining the ranks of New York City's Zohran Mamdani, Seattle's Katie Wilson, and Mayor-elect David Morales, of Providence, RI.

Mayor-elect's housing agenda

The cornerstone of Lewis George’s platform is her "Homes for All" plan, which includes provisions for rent stabilization, a coordinated affordable housing development system, stricter code enforcement, and expanded down-payment assistance.

Her long-term goal is to add 72,000 new housing units throughout DC within five years.

Additional housing-related planks in the mayor-elect's platform include amending the city’s zoning restrictions to add more homes and mixed-income housing, especially closer to transit lines.

"Increasing supply, paired with policies to protect residents, really is critical to stopping further displacement and making housing more affordable for all," she wrote in an op-ed.

Janeese Lewis-George, D.C. council member and mayoral candidate, delivers closing remarks after listening sessions at the East Washington Heights Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. — Janeese Lewis-George will be Washington, DC's first new mayor in 12 years, and the first democratic socialist mayor. (Eric Lee for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The latest American Community Survey numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau reflect the urgent need for change. Buyers in DC have to contend with a 25% gap between earned income and the minimum required income to afford a home.

On the broader affordability front, Lewis-George campaigned on lowering utility bills for the district's 700,000 residents and pushing through universal affordable child care.

What Trump said about the new mayor

Lewis George easily won the Democratic primary in June, but President Trump does not count himself among her supporters.

Trump said after her victory that he "wouldn’t like" having Lewis George as mayor and threatened to carry out a federal takeover of DC if she won.

US President Donald Trump speaks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC — President Trump previously called Lewis George a "communist" and threatened to bring Washington, DC, under federal control. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Maybe we’ll take back Washington, run it on a federal basis," he said. "We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses."

Lewis George responded at the time that threatening the revocation of the city's home rule "because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself."

However, now that the Democrats reclaimed control of the House and Senate, DC is expected to be shielded from Trump's potential efforts to encourch on its autonomy, since it is the Congress, not the president, that has legislative power over the district, according to the Associated Press.

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