WASHINGTON, D.C., Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George opened her mayoral campaign with such an overwhelming wave of grassroots donations that the district’s campaign finance website could not handle the volume. Her team reported that the “unprecedented size” of the initial filing forced them to split the report into multiple parts, requiring “dozens of hours” to manually upload thousands of donor entries. A corrected filing will follow as more contributions are added.
Lewis George, a democratic socialist and Ward 4 councilmember, has quickly emerged as the early financial frontrunner in the 2026 mayoral race. She shattered the city’s record for qualifying for public matching funds in just a few hours, a mark that previously took Mayor Muriel Bowser two weeks to reach. Her opening report shows $188,591 raised from D.C. residents in the first 10 days, with 2,567 unique donors. With the city’s five-to-one match, plus outside contributions and public grants, her campaign is expected to receive nearly $1.2 million.
Her platform centers on lowering housing costs and boosting wages, themes that have resonated with citywide progressive networks. Supporters credit her surge to growing socialist momentum nationally, including New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory. For now, Lewis George is the only declared candidate, though Councilman Kenyan McDuffie is considering entering the race, a move that would require him to resign his current seat and switch party affiliation.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
