Former D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie conceded the mayoral primary race Thursday morning, saying in a statement that it “is clear that the voters have chosen a different path.” The official race hasn’t yet been called, but Lewis George is now on track to win the general election in November, where she will likely face no meaningful competition in the blue city.

Lewis George has said she is committed to building 72,000 new homes in five years and plans to do so by reforming zoning restrictions and streamlining the permitting process. She also wants to preserve affordable housing, modernize rent stabilization and expand homeownership by increasing down payment assistance and easing the path for renters to become owners.

“Affordability is an issue in this city, and there has to be leadership who’s ready to address it,” Lewis George said during a Thursday press conference. “People from the middle class to the margins are feeling the affordability crisis, whether it’s housing or utilities or childcare.”

The greater D.C. region is short an estimated 390,000 housing units, according to a December report from the Greater Washington Partnership.

But some commercial real estate groups and pro-housing advocates have their doubts. The CRE industry overwhelmingly backed McDuffie in the race, both in financial contributions and endorsements.

“We remain concerned about the viability of her proposals which could add burdensome red tape and increase the cost of building homes,” DMV New Liberals, a D.C.-based advocacy group that endorsed McDuffie, said in an emailed statement.

Adam Fofana and Karl Nielsen, D.C. regional lead and DMV chapter president, respectively, at DMV New Liberals, told Bisnow the group disagrees with Lewis George’s plan to expand rent stabilization, saying that price controls lower incentives to build rental housing. A 2005 study published in the Journal of Housing Economics found that while the effects of rent control and stabilization policies vary based on design, rent control is associated with an estimated 10.4% drop in the supply of total rental units in a city.

They said they agree with Lewis George’s plan for permitting and zoning changes.

Matt Teffeau, director of government affairs at Associated Builders and Contractors of Metro Washington, said Lewis George will face challenges reaching her housing goals. He said housing construction is at the lowest level since the Great Recession and that lenders aren’t funding housing in the city.

“At the current rate, to meet her goal of 72,000 new housing units, she’d have to be Mayor for 40 years. Unfortunately, that’s the reality she will face as she takes office,” Teffeau said in an email.

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