(AURN News) — It’s a big day in Washington, D.C., as voters choose a new mayor for the first time in more than a decade.
But the race is about far more than who runs City Hall.
“So I wouldn’t like it, and maybe we’d take back Washington, run it on a federal basis.”
Those are the words of President Trump last week — a direct threat to strip D.C. of its self-governance if Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George wins today’s primary.
Lewis George, a Ward 4 council member whose progressive platform has led critics and opponents to label her a democratic socialist, currently holds a double-digit lead over her main rival, former council member Kenyan McDuffie.
Still, a significant share of voters remains undecided.
Even Trump’s threat has become a campaign issue.
McDuffie argues that electing Lewis George would hand Trump the perfect excuse to intervene.
Legal experts say dissolving D.C.’s home rule isn’t something the president can do alone. Congress would have to act.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
https://aurn-news.simplecast.com/episodes/trump-threat-looms-over-d-c-mayoral-race
