The Post editorial board really, really doesn’t like JLG

First Up

Three times in two weeks, the Washington Post editorials have thundered against Janeese Lewis George. Clearly, the progressive mayoral candidate’s politics are at odds with the new company line ordered up by Jeff Bezos. But will anyone listen to the denunciations?

It’s a question that vexes operatives working the first local election of the post-paper-of-record era. The Post’s editorials could once make or break a candidate, and its army of reporters could set the agenda for the rest of the media. The outlet’s mission, though, has changed. It’s anyone’s guess as to who’s setting the agenda instead.

You can see the effect in some of the coverage already. One reason for Lewis George’s strong start was that, unlike Kenyan McDuffie, her democratic-socialist politics brought her an energetic online fan base that could fill some of the local media vacuum.

Conversely, a veteran on one citywide campaign told me that the controversy over Lewis George’s statements on Zionism — she said she’d shun events “promoting Zionism,” before trying to make amends with Jewish groups — would have been a week-long PR headache in the old days. Not this time.

But the biggest change is yet to come. Right about now, around two weeks before election day, the old D.C. would be awaiting the big Post endorsement — something that could steer thousands of votes. Even more could be swayed by endorsements for offices like D.C. Council.

Now, though, the reconfigured Post has alienated a lot of the old faithful. And the rest of the media mostly steers clear of endorsing candidates. The undecided and the underinformed are going to have to find some other way of making up our minds.

What D.C.'s Talking About

Off Center. A federal judge on Friday ordered Donald Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center and paused plans for a two-year closure of the arts shrine, ruling that the institution's board acted unlawfully because it did not go through Congress. Trump reacted with classic fury at the judge and his wife, among others. One piece of his response, though, made news: Trump said that if he couldn’t go through with his plans, he’d walk away. In a social media post, he said he’d instructed the Commerce Department to arrange “a full and complete transfer” of the center to Congressional control. It’s not clear what that means for the staffers facing layoffs or the D.C. residents who used to fill the seats.

Concert Chaos. In other Trump-related cultural calendar news, the president responded with more fury to the string of artists who pulled out of Great American State Fair concerts. He initially mused on social media about headlining the event himself, then called for canceling it, suggesting a MAGA rally instead. On CNN yesterday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose department oversees the mall, struggled to explain what would be happening. The New York Times reported a White House official saying someone would get fired over the concert planning.

Amazon Away. Hey, remember when Amazon’s HQ2 was going to be a huge regional economic driver, not to mention an iconic helix-shaped building? Now, the building is on hold and Arlington officials are finalizing a lease to move an alternative high school into an unused part of the Amazon campus.

More With Less, MPD Edition. A big new study from the centrist Niskanen Center focuses on a D.C. irony: “Since reaching a dramatic peak in 2023, violent and property crime in the District has fallen sharply — even as the police force shrank to its smallest size in half a century.” Interesting nugget: According to the study, the National Guard presence reduced “opportunistic property crime” by 24 percent by adding more eyes on the street — but had no discernible impact on violence.

Profile Time. The Post ran big campaign season profiles of the two major mayoral candidates. Both pieces sketch candidates’ bios and offer studiously even-handed takeaways. Lewis George “has excited disaffected liberals looking for a change,” but “unsettled some moderates and those in the business class.” McDuffie’s “calibrated ambition, crafted in recognition of the city’s shrinking budgets” pleases some, but his “cautious approach” worries those who’d like to see more aspiration. Cringe moment: McDuffie rejected the label “moderate” — while sitting by a campaign poster that called him moderate.

Not Afraid to Rank. At a Friday debate among candidates for D.C. Delegate, Kinney Zalesne responded to a question about who else she’d rank on her ballot: She was torn between Brooke Pinto and Trent Holbrook, she said. When the two leading candidates — Pinto and Robert White — didn’t answer the question, Zalesne pounced: “This is so cowardly,” she said. D.C., clearly is still figuring out the politics of ranked-choice balloting.

Finally: Get ready for a new round of polarizing pizza debates. The Chicago deep-dish favorite Giordano’s is opening a 130-seat restaurant on 14th Street downtown. If you thought the arguments about New Haven pizza were intense, wait until you hear pizza purists go off on the windy city variety.

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