‘And….’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Another week closer to the primary and DCision 2010.  46 days until the primary election and the end of the Gray/Fenty battle.

The Big Race

Gray ekes out a win in Ward 6. The Ward 6 Democrats held their straw poll on Tuesday night, and Vince Gray came away the winner, even if he didn’t win their endorsement.  The organization required 60% of the vote in order to grant an endorsement, and neither candidate breached that margin.  Vince Gray picked up 56%, with Adrian Fenty picking up just 40%.  As usual, straw polls aren’t a great measure of anything other than the most involved partisans.

Endorsements for Gray. Three endorsements for Vince Gray this week, one from the Fraternal Order of Police, one from the Latino Caucus, and one from the Realtors.  Endorsements are a mixed bag.  They can come with institutional support (likely from the Latino Caucus) or money (likely from the Realtors and FOP) or votes.  Enough endorsements and you’ve got a rock-steady base and a motivated group of people with a lot to lose. We won’t know how much this matters until all the cards are on the table.  Still, it looks good for Gray this week.

Big Endorsement for Fenty. The Washington Post today announced that they are endorsing Adrian Fenty’s re-election, specifically supporting his efforts on crime reduction and school reform. Media endorsements are a big deal, especially from someone as large as the Post. Even as newspapers weaken, they still hold large sway.

Education Reform for Fenty. Michelle Rhee’s firing of 241 teachers due to underperformance won him some support for those desperate for education reform at any cost.  Think here of the moderates and those leaning toward the R side of the aisle in the District.  Rhee has made it clear that she won’t work for Gray, and that keeps her as a big asset for Adrian Fenty, especially when she lets loose with something like this.

Trouble with Independent Gray Fundraising Org? Okay, this one has the potential to be a little interesting.  Mike Debonis of the Post broke the news that the Independent “Friends of Vince Gray for Mayor” is the subject of an eight-page complaint to the DC Office of Campaign Finance from the Fenty Campaign.  The Fenty Campaign argues that the responsible party, Clinton LeSueur, is a campaign volunteer for the Gray campaign and that the name is in violation of DC election law, which prohibits the name of any candidate in the name of an independent finance group.  Look for more details on this one over the next two or three weeks.

The Chairman’s Race

Orange Stays Negative. You could see this coming from a mile away, but in an effort to differentiate himself, Vincent Orange has taken to calling Kwame Brown “Mr. Mistake” in his releases, insisting that Kwame’s poor recall for numbers is indicative of a moral failing instead of failure to keep numbers in his head.

Profiles of Both Candidates in the Post. Ann Marimow has lengthy profiles on both Brown and Orange this week, if you want to read some more about these two.

Ward Five

Kathy Henderson Out. According to a tweet by DCBOEE last night, Kathy Henderson has withdrawn her name for ballot consideration for Ward 5 Council.  That means we’ve got a four-person race: Delano Hunter, Kenyan McDuffie, Tracey Turner and Harry “Tommy” Thomas Jr.  No explanation has yet been given by Kathy Henderson for her departure from the race, but it was interesting to note that both of her ballot challenges (against McDuffie and Turner) were denied as well.

Tom Bridge

I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.