Janeese Lewis George Says D.C. Is Ready for a Democratic Socialist Mayor

In an interview with NOTUS, the D.C. Council member detailed her ambitious vision for the District.

Janeese Lewis George

Janeese Lewis George, 38, is a two-term D.C. Council member seeking to become the city’s next mayor. Kainaz Amaria/NOTUS

Both Janeese Lewis George and her critics agree: Her platform is ambitious.

The two-term D.C. Council member, who has swept up endorsements from labor unions, progressive advocacy groups and four of her colleagues during her campaign to be the District’s next mayor, wants to significantly bring down child care costs and utility bills, build 72,000 housing units in five years, and more aggressively stand up to the Trump administration.

But critics — including Kenyan McDuffie, her principal opponent — say much of what Lewis George is proposing is unrealistic given D.C.’s fiscal challenges. She counters that they aren’t thinking big enough.