{"id":1607,"date":"2026-06-09T21:38:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T21:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=1607"},"modified":"2026-06-09T21:38:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T21:38:53","slug":"d-c-mayoral-candidates-fight-it-out-in-final-days-before-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=1607","title":{"rendered":"D.C. mayoral candidates fight it out in final days before election"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The top candidates in D.C.\u2019s mayoral primary are showing an eagerness to attack each other\u2019s records as the race between former Council colleagues Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie nears its end.<\/p>\n

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Reciting the low points in their respective D.C. Council records dominated the final public forum last week between Ms. Lewis George, a self-described democratic socialist, and Mr. McDuffie, who has pitched himself as the tough-on-crime choice in the June 16 primary.<\/p>\n

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last fall she would not seek a fourth term, giving city voters the first mayoral race in more than a decade without the Democratic incumbent on the ballot. The Democratic primary functions as the de facto election for mayor, and other major city offices, in the deep blue District.<\/p>\n

The two candidates hammered each other over their public safety stances during the June 4 forum with local NBC affiliate WRC-TV, as methods to address a wave of \u201cteen takeovers\u201d have become a top priority for residents throughout the District.<\/p>\n

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Ms. Bowser and Metropolitan Police leaders have argued in favor of an enhanced curfew law, with police able to establish curfew \u201czones\u201d in certain parts of town where teens regularly gather. The zones are part of a permanent curfew law currently undergoing congressional review, and is expected to take effect within the next month.<\/p>\n

Mr. McDuffie, a former at-large independent on the council, became a stronger proponent of the curfew zones following a viral brawl at a Navy Yard Chipotle in May.<\/p>\n

But Ms. Lewis George, Ward 4 Democrat, has said they risk putting more children in contact with federal law enforcement scattered around the District thanks to President Trump. She tried to dismantle Mr. McDuffie\u2019s image as a no-nonsense crime fighter by saying it is just his latest political transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest issues we have with Mr. McDuffie and transparency is the public doesn\u2019t know where he stands on issues,\u201d Ms. Lewis George said at the mayoral forum. \u201cHe has constantly waffled, especially on issues of public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Lewis George said the former city council member did not support expanding the juvenile curfew when they both shared the dais. He also included an amendment to have greater pretrial detention powers expire when it was included in 2024\u2019s massive pro-policing omnibus package, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for there to be leaders that the public can trust and understand where they\u2019re coming from, understand their values, and because he\u2019s so inconsistent, our public has no idea what he\u2019s going to do or say as mayor,\u201d the councilwoman said.<\/p>\n

Mr. McDuffie fired back that he had always supported using the juvenile curfew as a temporary tool to rein in unruly youth gatherings, which have made national headlines for how often they erupt into wild melees in Navy Yard.<\/p>\n

He added that his amendment to sunset the more robust pretrial detention, which gives judges greater discretion to jail violent defendants if they are deemed dangerous, was done to give the council an option to tweak the statute if it wasn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump curse? President\u2019s teams are 0-for-3 at big games<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cShe, on the other hand, has developed a record of voting in a way that makes Washington, D.C., less safe,\u201d Mr. McDuffie said about his top competitor.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe voted against evicting violent tenants from properties, even where they were an imminent threat,\u201d he said. \u201cShe voted against holding violent tenants pretrial. She voted against making it illegal to shoot a gun in public, and finally, and very seriously, she voted against making strangulation a felony offense at a time where domestic violence in Washington, D.C. is going up. She should be ashamed of herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The latest polls show Ms. Lewis George has taken a sizable lead in the race.<\/p>\n

The sitting council member has 36% support among likely voters, according to the Washington Post-Schar School\u2019s poll released last week. Mr. McDuffie has 25% support from likely voters.<\/p>\n

Survey respondents said Ms. Lewis George seemed more poised to handle issues such as housing affordability, the rising cost of living and public schools.<\/p>\n

Mr. McDuffie did have a decisive advantage in terms of who respondents thought could tackle crime more effectively. He had slimmer margins in his favor when it came to how he\u2019d manage the relationship with the White House and the city\u2019s overall economy.<\/p>\n

Maybe most damning for Mr. McDuffie was the poll showed that Ms. Lewis George rated as the far more honest candidate among likely voters. Mr. McDuffie, however, was seen as the more experienced choice between the two.<\/p>\n

But veteran politicians are struggling against a crop of upstart progressive candidates who have won major races across the nation.<\/p>\n

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out former Gov. Andrew Cuomo last fall to become the mayor of New York City, despite only serving two terms as a state assemblyman in the New York Legislature.<\/p>\n

And Katie Wilson, also a democratic socialist, unseated Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell by 2,000 votes last November to take over the city\u2019s top job.<\/p>\n

Ms. Lewis George has been a member of the D.C. Council since 2020, while Mr. McDuffie served on the council from 2012 to 2026.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump vows to retaliate for downed U.S. chopper as Middle East turmoil imperils peace talks<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The top candidates in D.C.’s mayoral primary are showing an eagerness to attack each other’s records as the race between former Council colleagues Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie nears its end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,6],"tags":[1142,1141,295],"class_list":["post-1607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-news","tag-janeese-lewis-george","tag-kenyan-mcduffie","tag-muriel-bowser"],"yoast_head":"\nD.C. mayoral candidates fight it out in final days before election - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=1607\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"D.C. mayoral candidates fight it out in final days before election - 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