McDuffie concedes to Lewis George in D.C. mayoral primary

Kenyan McDuffie ended the D.C. mayoral primary fight Thursday morning by calling Janeese Lewis George to congratulate her on her victory and wish her success in the general election. His concession, delivered two days after the June 16 primary, confirmed what the vote count had already made clear: Lewis George had opened a decisive lead, and the city’s electorate had moved toward an affordability-driven agenda at a moment of intense pressure from Washington.

McDuffie said in a statement that the certification process would continue, but added that voters “have chosen a different path.” By Tuesday night, after the D.C. Board of Elections had released results from more than 100,000 ballots, Lewis George held more than 52% of the vote to McDuffie’s nearly 37%, with no other candidate above 3%. On Wednesday, after about 8,000 more ballots were counted, her lead grew slightly. The board’s official tally later showed Lewis George with 54,105 votes and 52.85%.

The result carries far beyond one mayoral race. Muriel Bowser’s Nov. 25, 2025 announcement that she would not seek a fourth term created the first open D.C. mayoral contest in a generation, and Lewis George’s showing suggests the city’s Democratic electorate is looking for a different governing mix. With nearly 75% of registered voters in the District identifying as Democrats, the primary winner is strongly favored in November, making the nominee’s policy profile especially consequential for the next mayoral term.

Lewis George built her campaign around affordability, including expanding access to universal childcare and developing 72,000 units of housing. McDuffie leaned into public safety, pushing curfews and more funding and staffing for the D.C. police department. The split sharpened in a June 4 forum, where the two front-runners clashed over the Potomac sewage spill, Donald Trump, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Lewis George’s lead suggests that, for many Democratic voters, housing costs and city services outweighed the harder-line policing message McDuffie advanced.

The race also unfolded under the shadow of Trump’s threats and a broader fight over federal control of the capital. Trump warned of a possible federal takeover if Lewis George won, while the campaign played out amid a federal law enforcement surge and rising anxiety over how much independence Washington could preserve. Ranked-choice voting was used in the primary for the first time, and officials had warned that tabulation could take days, underscoring how closely watched the outcome was in a city where the mayor’s office now sits at the center of the next test between reform politics and the city’s establishment wing.