A democratic socialist is on the verge of becoming the next mayor of Washington, DC, even as President Donald Trump has threatened to impose federal control over the capital.

Early results indicate that mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George is leading with just over 50% of the votes. Her closest competitor, former city council member Kenyan McDuffie, trails behind at 36%, with more than 60% of the ballots counted.

Voters faced a decision: support Lewis George, a candidate reminiscent of New York City’s Zohran Mamdani, which could provoke a Republican President intent on challenging DC’s Home Rule, or opt for McDuffie, a more centrist Democrat favored by business and restaurant leaders.

McDuffie, who previously identified as an independent, rejoined the Democratic Party to pursue his mayoral ambitions.

The electorate chose to send a message to the President by leaning towards Lewis George.

‘I wouldn’t like it,’ Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office, when asked about the prospect of a Lewis George win. 

‘Maybe we take back Washington and run it on a federal basis. We won’t put up with it,’ he said. 

Speaking to supporters from U Street’s Howard Theatre, part of the historic ‘Black Broadway,’ Lewis George took a veiled swipe at Trump’s comments Tuesday night. 

D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George waves at an Election Night party at Howard Theatre Tuesday after early returns showed her garnering more than 50 percent of the vote to be Washington, DC’s next mayor 

On Thursday in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said he ‘won’t put up with’ the election of democratic socialist DC mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George

‘If there was ever any doubt. Let it now be laid to rest. It is the people of DC who elect the mayor of DC,’ the democratic socialist said to cheers. 

If Lewis George remains above 50 percent, she wins the Democratic primary outright. 

If she dips below, some votes from less popular candidates will be reshuffled, as DC has implemented a ranked-choice voting system starting this cycle.

Still, Lewis George remains in a strong position to win.  

As in liberal California, many voters in DC use mail-in ballots and can postmark them as late as Election Day. 

Returns were delayed for hours after polls were supposed to close at 8 pm ET on Tuesday. 

Whoever wins the Democratic mayoral primary is a shoo-in for the general election due to the city’s overwhelmingly Democratic voter base. 

In the 2024 presidential election, for example, the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, won 90.3 percent of the vote to Trump’s 6.5 percent. 

The last time the capital city had a Republican mayor, it was still the party associated with President Abraham Lincoln, with Republican Sayles Jenks Bowen serving as mayor from 1868 to 1870.      

Former DC Council member, the more moderate Kenyan McDuffie, was considered Janeese Lewis George’s biggest rival. The Democrat turned independent turned Democrat was backed by business and restaurant industry leaders 

DC mayor hopeful Janeese Lewis George participates in an interview on Election Day on Tuesday 

Trump would have to go to Congress to strip away DC Home Rule. 

The District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 allows DC residents the right to elect a mayor and a 13-member city council. 

Because DC is a federal district and not a state, the nearly 700,000 tax-paying residents don’t get to elect members of Congress. 

Still, Congress ultimately gets to decide what local laws go into effect and must approve the DC budget. 

Historically, Republicans in Congress have attempted to meddle in policies supported by the city’s liberal voters – including abortion funding, marijuana legalization and firearms restrictions. 

A statehood movement in DC has taken root, with a Democrat-led House of Representatives passing a statehood bill in 2021, but it went nowhere in the Senate, with national Republicans largely against granting DC statehood because it would all but guarantee two Democratic senators and a Democratic US House member.   

DC’s current Democratic Mayor, Muriel Bowser, decided to bow out after three terms, despite not being term-limited. 

She served through all of Trump’s first term and will end her tenure as Trump hits the two-year mark of his second. 

Bowser has maintained a stable relationship with the Trump administration during the President’s second term.

While they clashed during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, she’s ensured DC’s autonomy by making concessions such as paving over the large Black Lives Matter street mural on 16th Street NW directly in front of the White House.    

She also walked a delicate line when Trump ordered the National Guard onto DC streets, praising the anti-crime initiatives while criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions. 

CHICAGO (WLS) — Barack Obama’s journey from obscurity to the presidency is often described as rapid and remarkable by those close to him. However, well before his groundbreaking presidential bid, some associates already saw the potential for greatness in him.

During his U.S. Senate campaign, Obama remarked, “Indeed, I may lack personal wealth or a renowned surname, but what I possess is an unyielding passion.”

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Obama’s fervor for politics was evident even before 2003, when he was merely a state senator with aspirations for the U.S. Senate.

David Axelrod, who played a vital role as the chief strategist for Obama’s presidential run and later served as a senior advisor, recounted a prediction from political activist Bettylu Salzman. She observed Obama during his days as a community organizer in the early ’90s.

Axelrod recalled, “She mentioned, ‘He’s organizing this voter registration drive, yet I have a strong sense he might become the first Black president of the United States.’”

SEE ALSO | Obama Presidential Center set to open this week on South Side | LIVE Updates

But Obama’s political rise began with baby steps. The first: getting elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996. After serving two terms, he challenged incumbent Congressman Bobby Rush and lost the 2000 primary by a humbling two-to-one margin.

“And many people would have quit at that point, and he could have easily done that and folded up his tent, and he came he came back from that,” said former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

And what a comeback it would turn out to be, starting when Obama hit the campaign trail in 2003 in the race for U.S. Senate.

“The main thing you get out of this is the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful day and shake some hands and talk to voters and hopefully they start remembering your name over time,” Obama said.

Obama would win the 2004 Democratic Senate Primary shortly after that getting a life-changing invitation.

“The next senator from the state of Illinois, Barack Obama,” said Sen. Dick Durbin as he introduced Obama.

Obama gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention that summer in Boston.

“And as he started to speak, you could see more and more people paying attention, and then people are up on their feet, and I looked around, I saw people with tears rolling down their cheeks,” Axelrod said.

“There is not a liberal America and a conservative America; there is the United States of America,” Obama said.

That speech transformed Obama into a political superstar.

“I’d say he hit a grand slam homerun, he has the passion, he has the commitment, he spoke to the American public,” said then-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

“If you look at all the speeches in terms of that have hit it out of the ballpark, from Jesse Jackson to Barack Obama, it’s always been a speech of unity,” said Political Consultant Del Marie Cobb.

Durbin frequently campaigned with Obama, and in late 2006, said he offered him some advice.

“So, I sat down with him. I said, ‘You ought to run for president. You’re young enough. If you lose, you’ll have another chance, but you got something special, buddy, and I want to help you do it,’” Durbin said.

Obama launched his presidential campaign in February of 2007 on the steps of the old historic state capital in Springfield. His candidacy offered hope with the slogan, “Yes, we can.”

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel served as Obama’s chief of staff and says Obama was the change people were looking for.

“Almost every president scratches the itch that the predecessor leaves,” Emanuel said.

On election night, Obama hosted a watch party in Grant Park, attended by an estimated 240,000 people who witnessed history as America elected its first Black president.

“We are and always will be the United States of America,” Obama said.

“That’s one of the nights I’ll never forget, and just the joy and feeling a part of that,” Duncan said.

Many of those ABC7 spoke to see the opening of the Obama Presidential Center as a crowning moment for his legacy. Obama who, as a candidate made famous the phrase “Yes, we can,” will now be the former president who can once again tell people “Yes, we did.”

As the competition to find his successor heats up, former Representative Eric Swalwell is under pressure from federal regulators to return over $30,000 in general election contributions. Failure to do so could lead to an audit and enforcement actions against him.

The Federal Election Commission issued a warning on June 15 through a letter to Swalwell’s campaign committee, emphasizing that these funds must be refunded since he is no longer pursuing public office.

This action by the FEC adds to the mounting pressure on Swalwell, who is entangled in various financial and personal controversies.

Meanwhile, the controversies surrounding him are intensifying as voters in the San Francisco Bay Area prepare to select his successor. This decision is being made during a special election to fill the seat he vacated.

The election is occurring in California’s 14th Congressional District, which incorporates East Bay areas like Fremont, Hayward, and Livermore.

As of Tuesday night, with 80% of ballots counted, Democrat Aisha Wahab led the field with 42.6% of the vote, short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff under California’s top-two system.

Trailing the frontrunner, Melissa Hernandez held second place with 16.8% of the vote (17,619 votes), followed by Rakhi Israni Singh in third at 13.3% (13,946 votes).

Both are Democrats.

Wahab is considered a staunchly progressive, left-leaning liberal.

 The district leans very left and has long been considered easy territory for Democrats.

The top two candidates from the field will advance to an Aug. 18 runoff election.

The special election comes as Swalwell continues to face escalating scrutiny following his departure from Congress and his suspended California gubernatorial bid.

The FEC set a response deadline of July 20 for Swalwell to return the campaign funds and cautioned that failure to comply could trigger an audit and further penalties.

The FEC noted that general election contributions cannot be retained once a candidate exits a race and must be properly returned, putting immediate compliance demands on the campaign.

The warning lands on top of already heavy scrutiny surrounding Swalwell’s failed California gubernatorial bid, where filings show significant campaign spending, including nearly $38,807 paid between April 19 and May 16 to North Hollywood-based transportation and security operator Darly Meyer and his CYD Global Car Service, which advertises chauffeured vehicles and executive protection.

Those same filings also show the campaign has spent substantial sums on legal fees, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, as Swalwell faces multiple ongoing inquiries tied to misconduct allegations.

Separately, Swalwell has been hit with a wave of allegations involving his personal conduct, including claims tied to private Snapchat communications, explicit messages, and inappropriate exchanges with women during his marriage.

Former colleagues have previously described him as a “Jekyll and Hyde” figure, contrasting his public political image with his private behavior.

He has also faced allegations of serious sexual misconduct, including accusations of sexual assault and rape made by multiple women. 

Swalwell has not been charged with any crime.

The allegations first became public in April 2026, prompting him to suspend his California governor campaign and leave Congress.

No court dates have been scheduled, and he has not been formally indicted.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, including its Sex Crimes Division, are reportedly reviewing evidence and conducting early-stage interviews with accusers.