Mark Lee

Small-Business Director | Formerly @DCNightlifeDCNC ExecDir | @Spotlight4DC Advisory Board | Former @WashBlade Columnist | @wcp Award: 'BestOfDC' Best Columnist

[Scott Clement @sfcpoll]

NEW Washington Post-Schar School D.C. poll: Janeese Lewis George leads D.C. mayoral race by 11 points over Kenyan McDuffie, but 1 in 4 likely voters remain undecided before the June 16 primary. Details in our story w/ @jennygathright & @sophiansolano https://t.co/SgQChD4kYc

[Kenyan McDuffie @kenyanmcduffie]

Maya Angelou said it best: when people show you who they are, believe them. Janeese Lewis George’s votes have shown us exactly who she is. I’ve spent almost 14 years delivering for DC, and as Mayor, that’s exactly what I’ll do. Rank me #1 on your ballot and vote by June 16.

[Kenyan McDuffie @kenyanmcduffie]

My opponent praised my work on the NEAR Act just a few months ago. Today she’s attacking me for it. I don’t know which version of Janeese Lewis George I’m running against: the councilmember who supported my work, or the candidate willing to say anything to get elected.

[Robert McCartney @McCartneyWP]

Interesting thread here on Mayor Bowser interview at WashPost. She won’t say it explicitly, but crystal clear she favors McDuffie as successor. (No surprise). …

[Office of the D.C. Auditor @ODCA_DC]

We've got a new Auditude! Today’s topic: the worsening relationship between DC's electeds and the independent CFO—and a plea for everyone to get on the same financial page. Consider this your budget process fact check. https://t.co/qbm5EtWciw

[Kenyan McDuffie @kenyanmcduffie]

I enjoyed seeing friends and supporters at The Pug on H St SE yesterday. DC's small businesses, like The Pug, are the backbone of our economy. As Mayor, I'll strengthen government supports for small businesses so we can grow our economy. #FightAndDeliver @thepugdc

[Kenyan McDuffie @kenyanmcduffie]

🚨Endorsement Alert🚨

I’m proud to be endorsed by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who served as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States under President Barack Obama.

“Kenyan McDuffie served with me at the Department of Justice during my time as Attorney General under President Obama,” said Holder. “He demonstrated there the integrity, judgment and commitment to justice that have defined his career. On the DC Council, he has carried those values forward.”

I am deeply honored to have the support of General Holder, whose lifelong commitment to equal justice and the rule of law has been an inspiration to public servants across the country. As Mayor, I will bring that same commitment to make DC safer, more affordable and more accountable for every resident.

[Robert McCartney @McCartneyWP]

Polls show large plurality of Democratic voters want party to move to the center. Double the number who want it to move to left.

[Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle]

Inbox: Former attorney general Eric Holder is endorsing @kenyanmcduffie for D.C. mayor.

[David Weigel @daveweigel]

A good part of Republican messaging is pointing at California in horror, and saying: “See? Elect Democrats and that’ll happen to you.”

The monthlong vote count is not helping Dems’ rep for competence, which Dems are saying out loud recently.

[Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle]

Of course, the semi-open primaries component of Initiative 83 was never funded by the D.C. Council, so it hasn't taken effect. That means the city's roughly 80,000 independent voters can't participate in the June 16 primary (but they can in a single special election).

[Mark Lee @MarkLeeDC]

Is this the DC gadfly who lives in a basement apartment and opposes the good incomes and longstanding livelihoods of the tens-of-thousands of tipped restaurant-and-bar service professionals who support the current tip-wage system and wants them to become minimum-wage-wage drones?

[Ryan @Rybread_26]

I have some free time today and this article by @mattyglesias deserves a proper rebuttal. I don't have a Substack, so here's the thread...🧵
https://t.co/AALG6fUROb

[Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle]

Now, @MayorBowser is pushing back against any proposed tax increases, and Mendelson himself says he wants to see them as a last resort. In a letter to the council today Bowser slammed "making major tax policy on the fly with no public input."

[Katie Robertson @katie_robertson]

NEWS: A federal judge has blocked NOTUS from rebranding tomorrow as "The Star," granting a temporary restraining order at the request of its rival, The Washington Star

[Emma Uber @EmmaUber7]

NOW: A federal judge has blocked NOTUS from launching The Star website tomorrow.

The judge partially granted a temporary restraining order in a trademark lawsuit brought by The Washington Star against NOTUS/The Star. But NOTUS does not have to remove any existing mentions of The Star from its website.

Story to come @CityCast_DC

[TheBarrasReport @BarrasReport]

OCF's investigation into JLG's relationship with union allies, Safe & Affordable DC, is ongoing. Should voters know the results before Election Day?

jonetta rose barras: Has Janeese Lewis George’s mayoral campaign violated DC election finance laws? https://t.co/1ydpGs8Fhj

[Mark Lee @MarkLeeDC]

The years of annually exploding city government spending levels is being forced to end by economic realities. But will DC elected officials start eliminating wasted outlays on inefficient and ineffective programs or raise taxes so they can keep lighting our cash on fire?

[Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle]

D.C. BUDGET: With a week until the D.C. Council's first vote on the '27 budget, lawmakers are scrambling to restore funding for many programs that have been cut to close a $1.1 billion hole. But the sheer number of demands and what they would cost shows the challenge they face.

[Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle]

In a letter to the D.C. Council, @MayorBowser slams the five lawmakers who have blocked an emergency bill to extend the teen curfew zones authority over the summer, until a permanent bill can take effect in late July. She also says she will "take necessary steps" in response.

[Tom Roussey @tomroussey7news]

Metro says since Sunday, May 24 they have given out 740 bus fare evasion tickets and have made 46 arrests as part of a crackdown on Metrobus. In some cases officers are going onto buses and pulling people off who were seen on security camera evading the fare elsewhere. #wmata

[Kevin B. Chavous @KevinChavous]

Also very excited to earn the endorsement of Josh Mogil, former President of the DC LGBTQ+ Bar Association and a respected leader in our legal community.

Together, our coalition of leaders, supporters, and community stakeholders continues to grow.

#DayOneReady #RankKevinFirst