Janice Lewis George and the limits of Washington’s mayoral power

When Zoran Mamdani became mayor of New York, he famously brought democratic socialism to America’s largest city. Now, another member of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is poised to lead Washington, D.C.

Democratic Socialists of America member and City Council member Janice Lewis George is set to become the next mayor of the nation’s capital, which has been led by Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser for more than a decade. Mr Louis George defeated Mr McDuffie, a moderate Kenyan Democrat, in June’s Democratic primary and will face independent and Green Party candidates in November in a largely decided election in the Democratic-dominated city.

As she prepares to take office, pressing questions remain about how much she will be able to accomplish in a city that is home to a federal government with significant powers over governance, and whether her leadership will primarily serve a symbolic role under the thumb of big government.

But her supporters expect her to stand up to President Donald Trump, as she vowed during the campaign. President Trump has federalized the city’s police force, deploying thousands of National Guard troops across Washington over the past 14 months, and plans to keep them there until his term ends in 2029.

“Myself, and basically every other D.C. resident I know, is not happy about the federal government’s threat to our ability to self-govern,” said Curtis Hagans, president of the Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America chapter. “I hope she shows a willingness to fight for us.”

Louis George is part of a larger wave of democratic socialists gaining power at the local and federal levels. In Seattle, Katie Wilson became mayor last year after narrowly defeating incumbent Democrat Bruce Harrell. In Los Angeles, Nitya Raman is leading in a close mayoral runoff against incumbent Democrat Karen Bass.

This election cycle also has several democratic socialists running for Congress. In Michigan, far-leftist Abdul El-Sayed is challenging former Congressman Mike Rogers. Although El-Sayed rejected the DSA label, many of his positions are consistent with the organization’s goals.

Louis George’s campaign declined CNBC’s request for an interview.

One of DSA’s goals is universal child care, which Louis George is pushing for, and Hagans said she expects to make it a reality.

Louise-George also wants to focus on affordable housing and lowering utility costs, her website states.

Additionally, she told the Washington Sun that she supports a new business activity tax (BAT), but not raising taxes on working and middle-class households.

Her BAT proposal would target unincorporated partnerships such as law firms, lobbying shops and other businesses that are based in Washington but whose owners live outside the city and could avoid paying the District’s business franchise tax under federal tax law. This makes the first $200,000 of economic activity tax-free.

According to the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, a 2% BAT policy could generate approximately $500 million in additional revenue for the city annually. Louis George said during a Democratic mayoral primary debate that revenue from BAT could help fund policy goals.

The D.C. City Council ordered a feasibility report on implementing BAT in July. Congress held a nine-hour hearing this month to discuss tax proposals, including BAT, to alleviate the fiscal year 2028 budget shortfall.

Supporters of the tax said at the public hearing that it would make taxation more fair across the city’s business community, and Louis George previously said it would close a “loophole” in the tax.

BAT would hurt the city by raising taxes on small businesses, said Malcolm Fox, executive director of Opportunity DC, an independent spending group that supports moderate candidates including McDuffie and advocates lowering the cost of living and doing business in Washington.

“This is a self-defeating approach and punishes the small businesses we need to get our economy back,” Fox said.

Given the possibility of BAT and other tax proposals, Congressional Republicans are preparing to limit the city’s, and Louis George’s, powers.

This summer, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) introduced a bill that would effectively allow the Legislature to block any tax increases that cities approve. The DC Tax Authority Review Act was introduced on July 22 by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which Comer chairs.

“Radical DC Democrats want to solve their spending problems by digging deeper into taxpayer pockets and pushing us further down the path to socialism. Let me be clear: raising taxes will not solve the fiscal mess they have created,” Comer said in a press release.

Louis George encouraged Congress to reject the bill regarding X.

“Let the people of D.C. govern D.C.,” she said.

The next step would be for the proposal to move to a vote in the House of Commons, but it is unclear whether that will happen. Ankit Jain, the shadow senator for the District of Columbia, told CNBC that he thinks the bill is unlikely to survive in both houses of Congress.

Louis George will also have to contend with Trump, who seized control of Washington’s police force in August 2025, a move Bowser’s critics say she followed too easily.

President Trump said the federal government’s takeover of the city’s police force and the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops were aimed at cracking down on crime, even though violent crime in the city has fallen from previous peaks. President Trump used Section 740 of the Home Rule Act of 1973, which allows the president to take control of the Washington Police Department for 30 days in case of an emergency, unless Congress grants an extension.

President Trump has repeatedly threatened to re-federate the city and in June called Louis George a “communist.”

At the local level, Chiniere Hubbard, president and CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, said the group looks forward to working with Louis George.

“As mayor, Janie Louise George truly wants to create a thriving economy that works for everyone, with good-paying jobs, and she shares that goal on the floor,” Hubbard said. “It doesn’t matter what label someone is given, it matters whether they implement the policy.”

David Barker, a political science professor at American University, said Louis George’s mayoralty will be more of a symbol than anything else, noting that like any mayor, there are limits to Washington’s mayoral powers.

“What is the mayor going to do? He can’t actually pass a bill that significantly increases the minimum wage or significantly increases and redistributes tax rates for residents,” Barker said. “They’re going to fix holes and stuff and put in lights.”

But Nick Cosgrove, co-chair of the Young Democratic Socialists chapter at the University of Maryland, said unlike Bowser, Louis George’s willingness to say no to Trump will have an impact on Washington residents.

Cosgrove also noted that because he is in Washington, he has less executive authority than other mayors.

“Even in the best case scenario, I don’t think she’ll be the Mamdani of Washington, D.C.,” he said. Mamdani is well known for moving quickly on policy goals, including rolling out initiatives such as the pied-à-terre tax and free child care for low-income children.

“But I think she will be a significant improvement over Mayor Bowser,” Cosgrove added, referring to Louis George’s pledge to say no to Trump.

Bowser’s office declined to comment.

Nadia Brown, a government professor at Georgetown University, said Bowser had to learn when to work with Trump and when to fight him.

“I think Janie Louis George needs to thread the needle as well,” Brown said.