Janeese Lewis George won. Now the democratic socialist must rebuild D.C.
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JLG's centerpiece promise has been affordable child care. Photo: Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Janeese Lewis George's biggest job will be rebuilding D.C.'s economy.
Why it matters: After 12 years, Washingtonians will look to a new mayor to solve their problems. And the list's a doozy: A hellish job market, record restaurant closures, crashing condo values, billion-dollar budget gaps.
The big picture: The effects of DOGE are still being felt. Coming after the pandemic, it's been a double whammy for a city that boomed in the 2010s.
- After President Trump's return to the White House, D.C. lost 45,600 jobs through August, 62% of which were government positions.
- The fallout has rippled through city life, with laid-off workers and families getting squeezed, neighborhood bars losing customers amid inflation and downtown landlords watching office values plunge.
- There's no quick rebound: The city won't return to pre-DOGE growth rates until fall 2030, according to D.C. chief financial officer Glen Lee's projections.
It's up to JLG — the city's youngest mayor in a generation — to reinvent the city's growth engine.
- The democratic socialist easily won Tuesday's general election, per AP, after sweeping the competitive June primary amid frustration with the city's direction and rising cost of living.
- Her ideas include a child care-for-all subsidy, which will be difficult to fund if there's a $680 million budget gap, and a goal to build 72,000 homes in five years — more than the city added over the past decade.
- Lewis George, 38, ran to make government work better, from improving services for residents who rely on food stamps and rental assistance to speeding up business permits.
What she's saying: "Our city must work for the people who live here in addition to the people who commute in for work and their employers," her economic development policy paper says.
Yes, but: The hard part will be jump-starting major projects, including the Union Station redevelopment, which she wants to make into her version of RFK Stadium — a legacy-defining project. Or attracting new companies to begin replacing lost federal jobs.
- She'll also walk a tightrope with President Trump, balancing opposition to policies deeply unpopular in D.C. with her promise to find areas of cooperation, à la New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
What's ahead: Clues about how Lewis George will govern will come as she assembles her transition team in the weeks ahead, fielding Cabinet secretaries and top jobs, including police chief and schools chancellor.
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