There was a time in America when even the faintest hint of socialist sympathies could end a political career. As recently as six years ago, Democrats so feared the potential nomination of openly socialist presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that they moved heaven and earth to ensure that Joe Biden emerged as the nominee instead.
But it did not take long for the Left’s affinity for socialist governance to become not merely acceptable, but intellectually fashionable, particularly among the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Candidates and politicians aligned with this growing movement were soon celebrated as the party’s rising stars. Before long, New York City elected Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as its mayor.
At the same time, voters in Seattle, Washington, elected Democratic Socialist Katie Wilson as mayor. And suddenly, the floodgates were open. The Democratic Socialist label that candidates used to run from has since become all the rage.
And now, it appears that Washington, D.C., may be poised to elect a Democratic Socialist mayor of its own.
Democratic Socialist candidate Janeese Lewis George, 38, has emerged as the frontrunner in the city’s mayoral primary race. A recent City Cast DC poll showed Lewis George leading the field with 39% support.
Her closest rival, Kenyan McDuffie, 51, a more centrist Democrat, finished with 34%. The next highest vote recipient received just 7%, and 24% of respondents remain undecided.
The primary will take place on June 16.
[City Cast noted that because D.C. uses ranked-choice voting, it is too early to count McDuffie out. When voters were asked to identify their second-choice candidate, 27% selected McDuffie, compared with 15% for Lewis George.]
Political analyst Geoffrey Ingersoll provided brief descriptions of the two candidates:
McDuffie was a postal worker [who worked] his way through school. He graduated from Howard University, then got his JD, and was a trial attorney for Obama’s civil rights division before entering local DC government in 2012.He supports beefing up police and installing stricter curfews for juveniles in the city. His approach to housing is more builder- and investor-friendly.He supports cutting “red tape” and pragmatism.
Regarding Lewis George:
JLG was the daughter of a postal worker. She also got her JD and served briefly as a juvenile prosecutor in the district before entering local politics.JLG is yet another self-styled “Democratic-socialist” who believed at one point DC Metro Police should be defunded in favor of a “community approach,” ie, social workers. She’s also in favor of wealth taxes and government-controlled housing.She supports “bold, systemic change,” which is a euphemism for historically terrible, top-down socialist impositions.She’s basically a black Zohran Mamdani. She’s also winning for similar reasons.
The City Cast poll of 735 District residents, conducted between May 12 and 17, offers fresh insight into the race and reveals striking parallels with polling from New York City’s mayoral contest. Chief among them is the extent to which age shapes voter preferences. Younger voters, in particular, appear far more receptive to socialism. This is likely a reflection of how few have firsthand experience with or a clear understanding of its historical failures.
The poll identified a stark “generational divide” in the race. Among baby boomers and older voters, McDuffie holds a commanding 27-point lead. By contrast, Lewis George leads by 24 points among Gen Z voters and by 19 points among millennials.
Lewis George holds a six-point advantage among white voters, while McDuffie leads by nine points among black voters.
The survey likewise revealed major differences between lifelong District residents and newer arrivals. Among respondents who grew up in D.C., McDuffie leads by 17 points. Among residents who have lived in the city for fewer than ten years, however, Lewis George holds a staggering 41-point advantage.
Taken together, the numbers point to a broader political realignment underway within the Democratic Party. The old stigma once attached to socialism has faded dramatically, especially among younger voters and newer urban residents who increasingly view Democratic Socialism not as a political liability, but as a badge of political virtue.
Whether that shift ultimately proves durable remains to be seen. But if the trajectory from New York City to Seattle is any indication, Washington, D.C. may soon become the next major American city to embrace a movement that, until very recently, existed far outside the political mainstream.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
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