A democratic socialist councilwoman running for mayor in Washington, D.C., has broken fundraising records set by the current occupant of the office mere hours after launching her campaign, the Washington Examiner reported.
Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George has reportedly raised enough to receive public financing, breaking the record set by current D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Bowser announced last week that she would not seek a fourth term.
"DC, I'm so grateful! Thanks to your support, we qualified for public financing in just 4 hours and set a record in qualifying for Fair Elections with more than 1,000 DC donors," Lewis George wrote on X Monday afternoon.
"This is a people-powered movement, and we are just getting started. Let's keep up the momentum!" she added.
Lewis George reached the public financing target of $40,000 with more than 1,000 donations from D.C. residents in about four hours. By comparison, Bowser previously set the record in 2022, but it took her 14 days to achieve the same goal.
Lewis George's success is already drawing comparisons to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, an unapologetic democratic socialist who used his youth and social media savvy to appeal to the predominantly left-wing base of a major city.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim born in Uganda, defeated establishment candidate Andrew Cuomo by advocating socialist-leaning proposals such as free city buses, government-run grocery stores, and free child care.
"Rent's rising in homes people can't afford. Folks are working hard and still feeling the squeeze, while the few in power rake in profits," Lewis George said in her announcement video, "and now our neighbors, our families, are under attack because we are failing to stand up to defend them."
Lewis George plans to boost her campaign funds through the city's 5-to-1 public matching program. The public financing cap is set at 110% of the average spending by winning mayoral candidates from the past four general elections.
The Washington Post reported that her total has surpassed $110,000, with more than 1,500 local donors. That support left her with more than $750,000 in public funds for her campaign war chest.
A campaign staffer was quoted as saying they were "astounded."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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