Democratic Washington Mayoral Candidate Criticized Over Ties to Homophobic Activist

The Washington Blade published an op-ed urging the LGBT community not to vote for Janeese Lewis George (Democratic Party) in the upcoming Washington, D.C. mayoral election. Political commentator Peter Rosenstein, the author of the piece, accused the candidate of lacking principles and associating with individuals who oppose LGBT rights.

The primary reason for the criticism was George’s acceptance of support from community activist Jauhar Abraham. Abraham previously used homophobic slurs and stated that gay people should not be allowed to teach in public schools. According to Rosenstein, George not only accepted Abraham’s political endorsement but also publicly celebrated his birthday without condemning his homophobic remarks.

A second point of contention in George’s campaign is her relationship with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Rosenstein pointed out that the DSA calls for the abolition of Israel and bans candidates it endorses from meeting with Zionist organizations, leading to accusations of antisemitism against the group. Following criticism from Jewish organizations, George held a private meeting with their leaders. During the meeting, she blamed a staffer for filling out the DSA’s endorsement questionnaire but neither fired the staffer nor clarified which specific points of the socialist platform she disagreed with. Shortly after, George spoke at a DSA rally.

In his column, Rosenstein also noted that George is modeling her campaign after Zohran Mamdani, who was recently elected mayor of New York City. However, the author emphasized that the situation in the capital is fundamentally different. Washington, D.C. lacks statehood, a governor, and an independent state legislature. The city’s budgetary and legislative autonomy is limited, requiring local authorities to constantly interact with the federal government—Congress and the U.S. President. According to Rosenstein, George fails to grasp the complexity of this political reality and is unprepared for the challenges facing the mayor of the federal district.

At the end of the article, the author urged voters to support another candidate, Kenyan McDuffie, calling him a more suitable choice to lead the city.