Janeese Lewis George
Member of the
Council of the District of Columbia
from Ward 4
Assumed office
January 2, 2021
Preceded byBrandon Todd
Personal details
Born (1988-04-30) April 30, 1988
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationSt. John's University (BA)
Howard University (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Janeese Lewis George (born April 30, 1988) is an American lawyer, politician, and activist in Washington, D.C. She is the Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 4.[1] George is a member of the Democratic Party.[2]

Elected in November 2020, George became the first self-described democratic socialist to serve as a member of the Council since Hilda Mason was defeated for re-election in 1998.[3][1]

Early life and education

George was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a postal worker, and attended the School Without Walls in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.[4] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics and government from St. John's University.[5] She earned a Juris Doctor from the Howard University School of Law, working as a waitress to pay her tuition.[6][7]

Career

After graduating from law school, George worked as a prosecutor in Philadelphia[8] In 2014, she returned to D.C. to care for her ailing father and served in the office of Attorney General of the District of Columbia, Karl Racine.[9] George was a member of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1403 while working at the Attorney General's office.[10] As a juvenile prosecutor in DC, she used experiences from losing peers to violence during her upbringing to help her colleagues.[8] Before launching her campaign for the Council, George worked for the District of Columbia State Board of Education.[7]

2020 campaign

In 2019, George launched her campaign for the Council of the District of Columbia. George was the subject of attack ads by Democrats for Education Reform, an advocacy group that supports charter schools, over claims that she would defund the police.[11] She was endorsed by a significant number of progressive groups, including Black Lives Matter, the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America.[12]

George was the first candidate to reach the limit in matching funds through the District's public financing program since it was initiated. The program provides matching funds but limits donations to $50 per supporter, of which she had almost 1,200 by March 2020.[6] On June 2, she defeated incumbent Brandon Todd by an 11.7-point margin. She was elected to the Council of the District of Columbia in November 2020.[1]

Personal life

George is married to Kyle George, who she met at a high school graduation party.[8]

Electoral history

2020 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 4, Democratic Primary [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Janeese Lewis George 7,926 54.2
Democratic Brandon Todd (incumbent) 6,386 43.7
Democratic Marlena Edwards 310 2.1

References

  1. 1 2 3 Nirappil, Fenit (November 4, 2020). "How Christina Henderson won a D.C. Council seat: Outreach to women, moderate police views and a positive campaign". The Washington Post.
  2. 1 2 "Live results: 2020 District of Columbia Council primaries". The Washington Post. June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. ↑ Reid J. Epstein; Jennifer Medina; Nick Corasaniti (June 3, 2020). "Historic Wins for Women of Color as Nation Protests Systemic Racism". New York Times. New York. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  4. ↑ Steinhardt, Ruth (May 14, 2021). "School Without Walls Celebrates 50 Years". George Washington University. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Meet Janeese". Janeese 4 DC. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Giambrone, Andrew (March 18, 2020). "First Candidate Claims To Max Out Public Financing Funds For D.C. Elections". DCist. Washington DC. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Zauzmer, Julie (May 23, 2020). "In Ward 4 council race, a moderate incumbent faces a progressive challenger". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Zauzmer, Julie (June 19, 2020). "Janeese Lewis George, the democratic socialist who beat one of the D.C. mayor's allies, says she'll be a pragmatic council member". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  9. ↑ Nirappil, Fenit (August 8, 2019). "D.C. lawmaker Brandon Todd ramps up reelection campaign, draws first challenger". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Former AFGE Member Janeese Lewis George Overwhelmingly Wins D.C. Council Race". www.afge.org. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  11. ↑ Cohen, Rachel (June 4, 2020). "A PROGRESSIVE CHALLENGER WAS ATTACKED FOR CALLING TO DEFUND THE POLICE. SHE WON ANYWAY". Intercept. Washington DC. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  12. ↑ Nirappil, Fenit (June 3, 2020). "Brandon Todd loses his D.C. Council seat, and voters soundly reject Jack Evans". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
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