Janeese Lewis George secured victory in Tuesday’s Washington, D.C., Democratic mayoral primary. Her success positions Washington to install its first socialist mayor. The Ward 4 councilwoman trumped challenger Kenyan McDuffie by a significant margin. In a city where the Democratic primary effectively decides the office holder, Lewis George is nearly certain to become the next mayor of the nation’s capital.

Eight months after voters elevated Zohran Mamdani in New York City, Lewis George ran a parallel campaign built on housing, rent, and the cost of living. It would be imprudent to draw national conclusions about these two results, however. At least not yet. After all, these socialist surges have succeeded where the electorate was already committed to Democrats. Whether the same message travels to swing districts or a national ticket remains untested.