Eric Holder, the former top prosecutor and current chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, is the latest establishment Democrat to back the more centrist McDuffie, who has followed the political track taken by current Mayor Muriel Bowser late in her term. McDuffie’s bid contrasts with his socialist opponent, councilwoman Janeese Lewis George of Ward 4, who has emulated New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s campaign style.
“Kenyan McDuffie served with me at the Department of Justice during my time as Attorney General under President Obama,” Holder wrote. “He demonstrated there the integrity, judgment and commitment to justice that have defined his career. On the DC Council, he has carried those values forward. He has worked to make DC safer, to hold people accountable and to protect the rights of all District residents.”
McDuffie worked in Obama’s Department of Justice under Holder as a federal prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division. Lewis George also has a prosecutorial background, serving as a prosecutor in the D.C. Office of the Attorney General. With their backgrounds on the prosecutorial side of justice, the two opponents have largely sparred over public safety.
The two candidates have differed on the hot public safety topic of the D.C. youth curfew, something Lewis George has staunchly opposed expanding, while McDuffie has fiercely defended alongside Bowser. More recently, McDuffie hit Lewis George over her idea of opening safe injection sites in the district.
McDuffie has also argued for expanding opportunities to recruit local residents into law enforcement positions, reinvesting in local community safety programs, and recruiting more Metropolitan Police Department officers. Lewis George has pushed for preventive-focused “Community Hubs” in each ward, where residents could access government resources, and has also campaigned on expanding the MPD’s cadet program and providing childcare benefits for officers.
As McDuffie boasts the backing of several centrist Democrats, Lewis George has the backing of several unions, including, as of Tuesday, the D.C. Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 36.
JANEESE LEWIS GEORGE BACKS SAFE INJECTION SITES IN DC FOR DRUG USE
“Janeese Lewis George understands the importance of respecting collective bargaining, listening to front-line first responders, and working collaboratively to solve challenges,” Local 36 President David Hoagland said in a statement.
The D.C. mayoral primary will be held on June 16. McDuffie and Lewis George are both running as Democrats, and in deep-blue D.C., the Democratic primary winner is all but certain to be the general election winner. There are no Republicans running, but there is one Green Party candidate.
