Democratic Socialists vowed an aggressive response to Trump, saying he could “take back” D.C. if he wins.
WASHINGTON, DC – Janice Louise George, a democratic socialist who has promised an aggressive approach to U.S. President Donald Trump, will be the next mayor of Washington, DC.
Louis George already held a commanding lead after Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Her top rival, Kenya’s McDuffie, conceded a point on Thursday, all but sealing victory.
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Washington DC is strongly Democratic, and the winner of the primary is likely to win the general election in November. There is no Republican challenger for the post, but independent and third-party candidates could mount it.
Louis George, a city councilman and former prosecutor, had won support from labor groups by pledging to set clear boundaries with the Trump administration, including ending cooperation between local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. If she wins, she will become the first member of the Democratic Socialist Party of America, which also includes New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to lead Washington, D.C.
Her competitor, former City Councilman McDuffie, has pitched himself as a moderate with support from Washington, D.C.’s business community. His style is similar to that of current Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has walked a careful line between criticizing and cooperating with President Trump.
Meanwhile, the US president has made his hopes clear that if Louis George becomes mayor, he might “take back Washington and run it on a federal basis.”
Washington, D.C. is a federal district, giving it great influence over the White House and Congress. However, under a 1973 law, the district has so-called “home rule,” allowing residents to elect a mayor, city council members, and town commissioners to manage day-to-day affairs.
Supporters have long called for statehood for the region, which has a population of more than 700,000 people. Both Louis George and McDuffie support D.C. statehood.
Since taking office in January last year, Trump has repeatedly threatened to assert more control over the district.
Last August, he briefly federalized the city’s police force by claiming a crime emergency, ramped up federal immigration enforcement in the area and deployed the National Guard as part of a “beautification” project.
Louis George said a strong response was needed to President Trump’s threats ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
“We are not going to remove ICE from our streets or protect our right to self-governance out of fear of this president,” she said.
“Threatening D.C. because you don’t like how its residents vote is an attack on democracy itself. D.C. residents are electing a D.C. mayor, and they want someone who will stand up to Trump,” she said.
