Janeese Lewis George and the limits of Washington mayor power

Zohran Mamdani famously brought democratic socialism to the largest U.S. city when he became New York’s mayor. Now another member of the Democratic Party’s progressive flank is poised to lead Washington, D.C.

Janeese Lewis George, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a city council member, is set to become the next mayor of the nation’s capital, which has been led for more than a decade by Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser. Lewis George defeated moderate Democrat Kenyan McDuffie in the June Democratic primary and will face off against independent and Green Party candidates in November in an election that is all but decided in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

As she prepares to take office, looming questions remain about how much she will be able to accomplish in a city that’s home to the federal government, which has significant authority over its governance, and whether her leadership will be primarily symbolic under the larger government’s thumb.

Her supporters, however, hope she will stand up to President Donald Trump, as she pledged she would do during her campaign. Trump has previously federalized the city‘s police department and has deployed thousands of National Guard troops for the past 14 months across Washington, with plans to keep them in place until his term ends in 2029.

“Myself and basically every other D.C. resident I know, we don’t take kindly to threats from the federal government on our ability to self-govern,” said Kurtis Hagans, chair of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America chapter. “I’m going to be happy if she’s showing a willingness to fight for us.”

Lewis George is part of a larger swell of democratic socialists gaining power on local and federal levels. In Seattle, Katie Wilson became mayor last year in a close win over incumbent Democrat Bruce Harrell. In Los Angeles, Nithya Raman is leading in a tight runoff for mayor against incumbent Democrat Karen Bass.

There are also several democratic socialists running for Congress this election cycle. In Michigan, the far-left Abdul El-Sayed is challenging former Rep. Mike Rogers. El-Sayed has rejected the DSA label, though many of his positions align with the organization’s goals.

Lewis George’s campaign declined CNBC’s requests for an interview.

One goal of the DSA is universal childcare, which Lewis George has campaigned on, and Hagans said he hopes to see her deliver.

Lewis George also wants to focus on