The Washington, D.C. Office of Campaign Finance has determined that mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George's campaign coordinated with labor unions and an independent expenditure committee supporting her candidacy. This conclusion follows a complaint filed in April alleging improper coordination between Lewis George's campaign, labor organizations such as UNITE HERE Local 25 and SEIU 32BJ, and the political committee Safe & Affordable DC, which has spent over $1 million on her campaign.
The report, completed on June 6 and released on June 12, indicates that there was sufficient evidence of coordination, including overlapping personnel and shared resources between the campaign and the supporting organizations. Under D.C. campaign finance law, independent expenditure committees must operate independently from the candidates they support.
The report highlights that Safe & Affordable DC received $100,000 contributions from both unions before spending significant amounts on advertisements for Lewis George. Investigators found that the firewall policy meant to prevent coordination was inadequate, lacking proper enforcement mechanisms.
The Office of the General Counsel has recommended penalties totaling $16,000 against Lewis George, her campaign treasurer, and the Janeese for DC Fair Elections Committee, along with a separate $4,000 fine against Safe & Affordable DC. Lewis George has denied the allegations, calling the findings politically motivated and stating that her campaign plans to appeal the decision to the D.C. Board of Elections.