The Politics Hour: With Muriel Bowser bowing out, D.C. mayor’s race heats up

After months of weighing the decision, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last month she would not run for a fourth term. Immediately, attention turned to who might jump into the race to replace her. The first major candidate to declare was Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George. She joined us to discuss her campaign rollout.Lewis George said as a Democratic socialist, she is focused on affordability, income equality, and defending District residents, including from a federal takeover of the city, something President Trump has threatened on multiple occasions. Lewis George talked about what she sees as her role should she be elected."I wanna be clear that the job of the mayor is to protect and defend its residents, and we take an oath as public officials to defend the constitution as well," she said.Asked about working with President Trump, Lewis George said she’d work with anyone willing to make the city more affordable and safer for District residents. Plus, we asked Lewis George about the Council's decision to extend a stricter youth curfew, adopt ranked-choice voting, and assist restaurants with their streateries.Montgomery County has a new council president. Natali Fani-González got behind the mic to discuss her journey from undocumented immigrant to lawmaker for Maryland's wealthiest and most populous county. Plus, she explained the TRUST Act. The legislation bans county cooperation with federal immigration authorities without a warrant and restricts ICE access to county facilities.Fani-González said she’s not worried about attracting attention from federal authorities."Yes, we're going through a crisis, but this is not a time to hide," the Montgomery County Council President said. "This is the time when you stand up and you fight for what's for justice and fighting for due process."She says it's important that the community feels safe calling local police.Sorting political fact from fiction, and having fun while we’re at it. Join us for our weekly review of the politics, policies, and personalities of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia at 12 p.m. on Friday. Send us questions and comments for guests: [email protected] us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885Follow us on Bluesky: bsky.app/wamu.org