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Democratic socialist whose Israel criticism ignited Jewish leaders ... United States Democratic socialist whose Israel criticism ignited Jewish leaders’ concern leads D.C. mayoral primary vote Janeese Lewis George has drawn comparisons to New York’s Zohran Mamdani. Janeese Lewis George volunteers campaign for her in Washington, D.C., on June 16, 2026. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Advertisement By Shira Li Bartov June 17, 2026 9:18 am Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A democratic socialist who has sharply criticized Israel and pledged to defend Jews from antisemitism is in the lead in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for mayor in Washington, D.C., poising the nation’s capital to elect a progressive leader. Janeese Lewis George, a D.C. Council member, had received just over half of the 65% of votes that had been counted by Wednesday morning. Kenyan McDuffie, a moderate and former City Council member, was in a distant second place. The election is D.C.’s first using ranked-choice voting, so it could take some time to reach a final tabulation and the results could change. Still, the early results have ignited optimism among Lewis George’s supporters — an…

Zohran Mamdani belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America, a ... Politics Zohran Mamdani belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America, a leading critic of Israel. Here’s what to know. The presumptive Democratic mayoral candidate in New York is now the face of a progessive group that accuses Israel of genocide and backs BDS. Then-New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference outside the White House to announce a hunger strike to demand that President Joe Biden "call for a permanent ceasefire and no military aid to Israel, Nov. 27, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Advertisement By Asaf Elia-Shalev June 30, 2025 5:36 pm Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... It was a Jewish politician, Bernie Sanders, whose surprisingly strong showing in the 2016 presidential primaries brought the Democratic Socialists of America to prominence. Although not a member of the group, Sanders identifies as a “democratic socialist.” The DSA endorsed him, and his candidacy inspired a surge in membership. Nine years later, the DSA has endorsed another rising progressive star, and this time he is a member: Zohran Mamdani, a member of DSA’s New …

Democratic socialist whose Israel criticism ignited Jewish leaders ... Janeese Lewis George volunteers campaign for her in Washington, D.C., on June 16, 2026. Photo by Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images By Shira Li Bartov June 17, 2026 ( JTA ) — A democratic socialist who has sharply criticized Israel and pledged to defend Jews from antisemitism is in the lead in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for mayor in Washington, D.C., poising the nation’s capital to elect a progressive leader. Janeese Lewis George, a D.C. Council member, had received just over half of the 65% of votes that had been counted by Wednesday morning. Kenyan McDuffie, a moderate and former City Council member, was in a distant second place. The election is D.C.’s first using ranked-choice voting, so it could take some time to reach a final tabulation and the results could change. Still, the early results have ignited optimism among Lewis George’s supporters — and concern among her critics, who include Jewish leaders in the city and beyond. Some Jewish leaders have criticized Lewis George, who has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, for vowing if elected not to attend “events focused on obf…

Democratic socialist who accuses Israel of genocide leads DC mayoral primary <p>Janeese Lewis George says she will meet with groups that don't share values, adding pro-Palestinian advocacy and 'commitment against antisemitism' do not conflict</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/democratic-socialist-who-accuses-israel-of-genocide-leads-dc-mayoral-primary/">Democratic socialist who accuses Israel of genocide leads DC mayoral primary</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com">The Times of Israel</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2026/06/AP26168165680545-1024x640.jpg" title="Democratic socialist who accuses Israel of genocide leads DC mayoral primary" border="0" width="160" height="100" class="type:primaryImage"></figure>

Democratic socialist whose Israel criticism ignited Jewish leaders ... A democratic socialist who has sharply criticized Israel and pledged to defend Jews from antisemitism is in the lead in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for mayor in Washington, D.C., poising the nation’s capital to elect a progressive leader. Janeese Lewis George, a D.C. Council member, had received just over half of the 65% of votes that had been counted by Wednesday morning. Kenyan McDuffie, a moderate and former City Council member, was in a distant second place. The election is D.C.’s first using ranked-choice voting, so it could take some time to reach a final tabulation and the results could change. Still, the early results have ignited optimism among Lewis George’s supporters — and concern among her critics, who include Jewish leaders in the city and beyond. Some Jewish leaders have criticized Lewis George, who has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, for vowing if elected not to attend “events focused on obfuscating the realities of occupation or promoting Zionism and apartheid” or join “political junkets to Israel.” She made those promises in responses to aquestionnairefrom the Metro D.C. Dem…