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Lisa Gore didn’t win her bid to knock off At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds in last year’s Democratic primary, but she made enough of an impression (and earned enough votes) to win a lot of friends in D.C.’s progressive community. These days, those good feelings have curdled into suspicion and anger.
That’s because Gore is currently exploring a bid against lefty darling and current Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George next year, half a dozen sources around D.C. politics tell Loose Lips. Gore has begun building out a campaign team and discussing potential endorsements with her past supporters ahead of an announcement sometime in the coming weeks, according to several of those sources.
Gore, currently the chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3/4G and a Hawthorne resident, did not respond to several calls seeking comment. She finished second behind Bonds in the at-large race a year ago, earning about 28 percent of the vote.
Gore’s consideration of this move has broadly been viewed as something of a betrayal among D.C. lefties. Many saw Gore as a political ally after she embraced a variety of progressive causes in the at-large race, and would’ve happily supported her had she pursued another bid for office. In fact, several sources told LL that there are still efforts underway to persuade Gore to abandon a campaign in Ward 4.
A challenge to Lewis George sets up a potentially nasty, intra-movement fight that most would like to avoid. And many politicos suspect that, at the very least, it benefits the interests of Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has long resented the success of a socialist-backed candidate in her home ward, even if her political operation didn’t directly encourage it.
LL has heard rumors for months that the Green Team has been recruiting candidates to challenge Lewis George, without much success. Some sources, including Bowser’s supporters and critics alike, began to wonder if anyone would step up to run given Lewis George’s dominant showing against Brandon Todd four years ago and her impressive fundraising haul to open her reelection bid.
Gore’s emergence as a challenger when she has no obvious ideological differences with the incumbent has only encouraged speculation that Bowser’s allies have promised her support. But Gore has no public ties to the mayor, and LL has yet to see any evidence of coordination between the two.
“I’m curious if Lisa is going to be running a people-powered campaign, a campaign for working-class people, or if she’s going to be running a campaign for big business interests in the District,” says Makia Green, an organizer with several progressive groups who supported Gore last year but has become disturbed at the prospect of her running against Lewis George. “Everyone wants to stay focused on our values, but having, potentially, Lisa run could really muddy the waters and shift the focus to personalities.”
For a closer look at what Gore’s entry could mean for the race, and what Lewis George’s campaign thinks about all this, check out our full story online.
—Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Remember the zebras that wandered around Prince George’s County in 2021? The man whose property they escaped is facing animal cruelty charges and will stand trial Oct. 25. This is the sixth time that Jerry Lee Holly has faced criminal charges related to his alleged mistreatment of animals. [Post]
- The rookie D.C. police officer who was shot during a gun battle last week may have been hit by friendly fire. The officer, who has not been publicly identified, has been released from the hospital, but analysts cannot determine who fired the shot that hit him because the bullet cannot be removed. The suspect whom the officers were chasing, Arthur Porter, was shot and killed during the incident. [Post, Twitter]
- What would Metro funding cuts really look like? [Post]
By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Mayor Bowser wants to loosen the city’s ban on police chokeholds, claiming that 40 officers are currently under investigation for the “incidental touching” of a person’s neck instead of the serious uses of force the ban is meant to prevent. But some ex-cops and police reformers wonder if this change is more about placating the D.C. Police Union than improving police retention. Acting Chief Pamela Smith declined to provide an example of the sort of chokehold she wants legalized for the cameras Monday, but she did give one to several reporters in a closed briefing. [Informer, DCist, NBC Washington]
- Bowser’s new crime bill would also let Smith declare certain areas “drug-free zones,” which could allow cops more latitude to pursue marijuana sales even though possessing the drug is legal. Still, there are constitutional questions about the policy. In fact, the full Council, Bowser included, voted to repeal a similar law in 2014. [Axios, Post]
- Then-Mayor Vincent Gray named a street after the proprietor of Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, a pillar of the city’s LGBTQIA community in Dupont Circle, in 2013. For complicated procedural reasons, the Council has to vote again to actually erect a sign in front of Annie’s current home. [NBC Washington]
By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)
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