Washington, DC, Council member Janeese Lewis George, a Democratic Socialist, launched her campaign for mayor of the nation’s capital on Monday – and she’s reportedly seeking to emulate Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral bid. 

Lewis George, 37, is seeking to replace DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who announced last week that she would not seek re-election to a fourth term. 

“Rent’s rising in homes people can’t afford. Folks are working hard and still feeling the squeeze, while the few in power rake in profits,” Lewis George said in a video announcing her run for mayor, echoing the rhetoric that propelled Mamdani to victory in the Big Apple. 

“And now our neighbors, our families, are under attack because we are failing to stand up to defend them,” the council member continued, as images of federal agents arresting people on the street played in the background. 

“That’s not the D.C., I know. That’s why I’m running for mayor,” Lewis George declared. “Because it’s time we had leaders who fight for the people who stand up to corruption and greed and stand with the people who make D.C. work.” 

Axios reported last month that Lewis George was aiming to build a 5,000-members strong volunteer army to knock on doors and phone bank.  

Her campaign was also hoping to bring on one of the Mamdani campaign’s top top digital advisers and target young voters online and on TikTok. 

Lewis George has served on the DC Council since 2021. 

She was endorsed by the DC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who congratulated “our chapter member” after her 2020 victory in the Ward 4 election. 

“Janeese’s grassroots, people-powered victories, both in the primary and in the general election, show that Ward 4 residents are tired of the big business and developer-friendly politics … Metro D.C. DSA is confident that George will be an elected leader who stands with the working class,” the group said in 2020. 

Like Mamdani, Lewis George has faced criticism for her past support for defunding the police. 

“I will absolutely divest from [DC’s Metropolitan Police Department] and put that money into violence interruption programs. Full stop,” she wrote on X in October 2019. 

Lewis George walked back her support for defunding the police during her 2020 campaign. 

The council member told the Washington Post that as mayor, she would focus on “evidence-based strategies to prevent crime,” suggesting swift punishment but short sentences for criminals work best. 

“We’ve focused a lot in the city on sentencing,” Lewis George told the outlet, “but what I’ve learned in law school and as a prosecutor is what deters crime is an individual knowing — am I going to get caught, and what are the chances of me being held accountable?”

President Trump surged federal law enforcement into the nation’s capital earlier this year and federalized the district’s police department as part of a sweeping crime crackdown — moves staunchly opposed by Lewis George.

Bowser was critical of Trump’s DC takeover but later acknowledged that it was helping reduce crime in DC.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the Afghan suspect behind the shooting of two National Guard soldiers — one dead — in Washington D.C. last week was likely “radicalized since he’s been here in this country.”

Noem shared this conclusion made by law enforcement on Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” and on ABC News’ “This Week.”

“We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him,” Noem said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, came to the U.S. in August 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, which coincided with the U.S. military forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden administration. Lakanwal was a member of a CIA-trained strike force, which required stringent vetting for him to be a part of. He was granted asylum under the Trump administration in April this year.

Noem, echoing other accusations made by Trump officials, blamed the Biden administration of not properly vetting Lakanwal as well as tens of thousands of other Afghans airlifted out of Afghanistan.

However, “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker stated that Lakanwal was granted asylum by the Trump administration and explicitly asked Noem if the Trump administration vetted him before giving him the seal of approval. Noem then shared that was supposed to be done prior to Lakanwal being brought to the United States.

“The vetting process happens when the person comes into the country, and Joe Biden completely did not vet any of these individuals,” Noem said.

“This individual waited until he got into the United States and then that application for asylum was opened under the Joe Biden administration, when he was the president in the White House and allowed that to go forward with the information that they provided. That’s the Biden administration’s responsibility.”

Noem also shared that President Donald Trump has created a new screening process to vet asylum seekers.

“The individuals who are here in this country on that program need to be vetted under our standards that we’re implementing under President Trump to ensure that they even should be in our country and, if they’re not, removed immediately,” Noem said.

Last week, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shared on X that “USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”

Noem said that the asylum process will resume once the backlog of asylum cases requiring vetting is cleared.

The D.C. Department of Transportation is rolling out a new set of regulations and new costs for restaurants that want to hold on to their outdoor space.

Streateries were once a critical lifeline, helping restaurants stay afloat during the pandemic. Five years later, many remain fixtures in their neighborhoods and still generate much-needed revenue.

“They’re going to charge us extra for that, and we can’t afford it,” said Raja Shaukat, who owns La Grotta in Adams Morgan.

Shaukat says restaurants are already struggling to make ends meet. When News4 visited, his dining room was empty, and he says business has been slow.

Under the updated streatery rules, restaurants would face a new $260 permit fee plus $20 per square foot, and they’d be responsible for buying their own jersey barriers.

“We absolutely said no to them because there’s no point in having a streatery out,” Shaukat said. “[…] Plus, with the economy and what we are going through right now in D.C., we can’t afford it.”

DDOT says the changes are meant to make outdoor dining more uniform, while improving safety, accessibility and overall aesthetics. But some News4 spoke with say they’re disappointed by the stricter rules.

“I think it’s a real shame,” said Gwendolyn Reece, an Adams Morgan resident. “This has been such a boon to the neighborhood and to D.C generally. It’s about the only good thing to have actually come out of the pandemic.”

“It’s really added to the public ambiance of spaces where people can come and sit even if they’re patrons of businesses or not,” said Adams Morgan ANC Commissioner Peter Wood. “It’s changed the dynamics of who’s using the public space and for what reasons.”

But others say they won’t miss them. Nadi Saleh, who owns Queen’s Cafe Hookah, says the outdoor seating was fine in the summer months, but overall, the streateries haven’t helped his business.

“Having parking places for the people, it’s going to help our business a lot,” Saleh said. “I’ve been 21 years in business. Since they started to do this, business is going down a little bit.”

Even though temporary streatery permits expired on Sunday in the District, DDOT says it won’t begin enforcing rules on non-compliant streatery structures until early 2026.