Democratic socialist political field expands, Washington mayoral candidates gain momentum

Washington Voters voted on the 3rd to elect the new mayor. This will be the first time in 12 years that the Mayor of the US capital has been changed. DC City Council member Janise Lewis George, who calls herself a democratic socialist, won by a clear margin in June this year.democratic party In the primary election, he is generally expected to win the mayoral election in Washington, where the Democratic Party has an overwhelming lead. If she is successfully elected, she may have a direct clash with the Trump administration on the issue of Washington’s autonomy.

Louis George defeated six rivals, including former City Councilman Kenyan McDuffie, in the June Democratic primary, receiving 54% of the vote. In the general election on the 3rd, he will face DC Statehood Green Party candidate Robert Gross, independent candidate Rhonda Hamilton and 11 registered candidates on the ballot.republican party No candidate was announced for the post of mayor.

Nearly three-quarters of registered voters in Washington are Democrats. Since Congress passed the Home Rule Act in 1973, allowing Washington residents to elect their own local officials, all elected mayors have been Democrats.

Democratic socialism advocated by Lewis George is similar to the political philosophy of New York City Mayor Mandani and Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who advocate that the government should be more actively involved in people’s livelihood issues such as housing, medical care, child care, and income distribution. During his campaign, Lewis George promised to actively oppose federal interference in local affairs in Washington and maintain limited autonomy of the capital.

Since the Trump administration has repeatedly interfered in Washington’s security and urban governance in recent years, if she is elected, it could lead to a new political confrontation with the White House.

Unlike the states of the United States, Washington is not a state, and the federal government still maintains considerable control over local matters, including the ability of Congress to review laws passed by the Washington City Council and local budgets.

After Trump declared a criminal emergency in Washington last year, he briefly placed the DC Police Department under federal control and deployed the National Guard to the capital. Apart from this, he has also ordered to promote several large-scale construction projects. If the relevant projects pass court challenges and are successfully implemented, they could transform Washington’s urban landscape.

Trump criticized Lewis George before the Democratic primary and threatened to consider placing Washington under federal control if he won the primary.

Lewis George responded at the time that threatening to strip away local autonomy merely because of residents’ dissatisfaction with their voting choices was “an attack on democracy itself.” However, Trump has not mentioned them publicly in recent months.

The new mayor will replace current Mayor Muriel Bowser. Bowser has been re-elected to three terms, each serving a four-year term. The current tenure will end on January 2 next year. She had previously announced that she would not seek re-election, ending her 12-year tenure as mayor.

As a new mayor is about to be elected, how Washington handles its relationship with the federal government in the future and strikes a balance between public safety, urban construction, and local autonomy will become a key challenge for the new government.