Janeese Lewis George appeared primed to make history Tuesday night as the first socialist elected mayor in the District, while Maryland Gov. Wes Moore strolled to a second term in a rematch against the man he beat four years earlier.
Mr. Moore was projected to win his race against Republican challenger Dan Cox shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m.
Votes were still being tallied for a D.C. ballot initiative to ban foie gras, the luxury duck and goose liver dish, throughout the nation’s capital in the name of combating animal cruelty.
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In Maryland, residents were deciding whether to give the state legislature’s Democratic supermajority permission to redraw congressional districts in a way that would put in jeopardy the state’s lone Republican U.S. House member.
Former D.C. Council member Robert White was anticipated to take over the District’s nonvoting delegate seat, held for more than 30 years by the retiring Eleanor Holmes Norton. And several new council members were expected to join the legislative body in a major sea change in city politics.
The largest of those changes, however, comes from Ms. Lewis George’s likely election. More than 90% of registered voters in the District are Democrats, turning Tuesday’s general election into mostly a formality after she won the party primary this summer.
The current Ward 4 Council member becomes the latest socialist to assume control of a major city. Last year, New York City voters backed Zohran Mamdani and Seattle voters supported Katie Wilson’s bid for mayor.
Once Ms. Lewis George assumes office in January, her left-wing agenda will be tested against revenue challenges and President Trump’s habit of dabbling in the affairs of the District, over which the federal government exercises far more power as the national capital.
The prospective mayor campaigned on using the government to tackle affordability issues. Her key promises include expanding rent control, building more than 70,000 housing units over the next five years, and ensuring no family pays more than 7% of its household income for childcare.
Ms. Lewis George aims to accomplish these goals by proposing a tax on out-of-state business owners in the District, while also auditing city agencies to trim administrative waste.
But those plans are countered by the capital city’s funding shortage that is forecasted to last for years.
A combination of the declining value of downtown office space — a remnant of the workforce trends brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic — and the Trump administration’s downsizing of the federal government has local officials projecting a $736 million decline in revenue between fiscal 2027 and 2030.
Mr. Trump’s presence looms over the District’s day-to-day functioning as well. The Department of Defense extended the National Guard deployment until the end of his second term, and federal agents are cooperating with the Metropolitan Police Department on patrols and criminal investigations.
The president has not been shy about bashing Ms. Lewis George, either. Following her primary victory in June, Mr. Trump called the mayoral favorite a “communist” and said he would “take over” the District if she won office.
Ms. Lewis George promised to fight the president’s perceived overreach in court with the help of D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, but her rhetoric toward the commander-in-chief cooled as Election Day neared.
Last week, Ms. Lewis George said her only concrete goal was to end the police department’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Beyond that, she said she wanted to demonstrate that her administration can run the city competently on the public safety and financial fronts.
Maryland’s gubernatorial race is a repeat of the 2022 election, in which Mr. Moore soared past Mr. Cox.
Mr. Moore has tried to quiet speculation that his second term at the governor’s mansion is merely a pit stop on the way to the presidency, but the Democratic executive has become a frequent face on national television and on trips around the country.
He also has influential friends, such as actor and Democratic donor George Clooney, who have voiced their support for his White House bid, should he move in that direction.
When debate moderators asked Mr. Moore last month if he would commit to serving his full term if he won office again, the governor said, “I’m committed to the people of Maryland, and that’s why I’m running for reelection.”
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