Janeese Lewis George
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affiliationsDemocratic Socialists of America
Janeese Lewis George | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) George in 2019 | |
| Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 4 | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Brandon Todd |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1987 or 1988 (age 37–38)[1] Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America |
| Spouse |
Kyle George (m. 2019) |
| Education | St. John's University (BA) Howard University (JD) |
| Website | Official website |
Janeese Lewis George is an American lawyer, politician, and activist in Washington, D.C. She is the member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 4.[2] She is a member of the Democratic Party.[3]
Elected in November 2020, she became the first self-described democratic socialist to serve as a member of the Council since Hilda Mason was defeated for re-election in 1998.[4][2] Lewis George is running for mayor of the District of Columbia in the 2026 election.
Lewis George was raised in Ward 4 of Washington, D.C.[5] The daughter of a postal worker,[5] she attended the School Without Walls in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.[6] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics and government from St. John's University.[5] She earned a Juris Doctor from the Howard University School of Law, working as a waitress to pay her tuition.[7]
After graduating from law school, Lewis George worked as a prosecutor in Philadelphia[8] In 2014, she returned to D.C. to care for her ailing father and served in the office of Attorney General of the District of Columbia, Karl Racine.[9] Lewis George was a member of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1403 while working at the Attorney General's office.[10] As a juvenile prosecutor in DC, she used experiences from losing peers to violence during her upbringing to help her colleagues.[8] Before launching her campaign for the council, she worked for the District of Columbia State Board of Education.[7]
Political career
D.C. Council
In 2019, Lewis George launched her campaign for the Council of the District of Columbia. Lewis George was the subject of attack ads by Democrats for Education Reform, an advocacy group that supports charter schools, over claims that she would defund the police.[11] She was endorsed by a significant number of progressive groups, including Black Lives Matter, the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America.[12]
Lewis George was the first candidate to reach the limit in matching funds through the District's public financing program since it was initiated. The program provides matching funds but limits donations to $50 per supporter, of which she had almost 1,200 by March 2020.[13] On June 2, she defeated incumbent Brandon Todd by an 11.7-point margin. She was elected to the Council of the District of Columbia in November 2020.[2]
2026 mayoral election
On December 1, 2025, Lewis George announced her candidacy for mayor of the District of Columbia in the 2026 election.[14]
Political views
Lewis George describes herself as a democratic socialist.[15]
Childcare
During her 2026 mayoral campaign, she released a plan to create a subsidy for universal childcare.[16][17]
Housing
In 2021, she proposed a social housing model of publicly owned and subsidized mixed-income housing.[18][15] In April 2022, Lewis George introduced two bills inspired by the Green New Deal. The bills would create an agency to construct and maintain mixed-income social housing, and accelerate the removal of lead pipes.[19] Lewis George introduced the Extreme Heat Eviction Prevention Act of 2025, which would prevent tenant evictions on days when the temperature is predicted to be above 95 degrees.[20]
Personal life
Lewis George is married to Kyle George, whom she met at a high school graduation party and married in 2019.[8]
