Scoop: Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George consider runs for D.C. mayor

What we're hearing: Kenyan McDuffie — a business-friendly at-large council member — is exploring a mayoral bid with his inner circle, two sources tell Axios. The sources, who are close to McDuffie, requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak about the planning.

• Janeese Lewis George — a Democratic socialist on the council who represents Brightwood, Petworth and other neighborhoods in Ward 4 — is also weighing a run, she confirmed late last week. That would make her the Zohran Mamdani of the race.

The intrigue: McDuffie's playbook hinges on Bowser's next move.

• If she does run for reelection — as many still expect her to do — it's unlikely McDuffie would run, one source close to him said.
• Bowser could wait until January to announce, said Bill Lightfoot, who chaired her previous mayoral campaigns.
• "Right now, the mayor is focused on governing the nation's capital," Lightfoot said.

Between the lines: McDuffie is currently a registered independent. He'd likely need to become a Democrat to compete in the all-important Democratic primary in June 2026.

• And re-registering as a Democrat would likely mean forfeiting his current at-large seat. (TLDR: Two of the four Council at-large seats must be non-Democrats.)

Zoom out: Some observers believe Bowser would be more amenable to stepping away if a candidate like McDuffie emerges — someone who shares her moderate Democratic, pro-business leanings.

The bottom line: We might have a mayoral race on our hands!