D.C. mayor Vincent Gray (pictured left) has been deeply involved in his re-election campaign despite being continually dogged by allegations of corruption and other scandal. In a primary race that has been intense, D.C. Council Member Muriel Bowser (pictured) is reportedly giving Gray a run for the mayoral office. In a recent poll, it appears that Gray’s chances to return to his mayoral post could be in jeopardy.
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In a Washington Post poll, Bowser, who represents Ward 4, gained the support of likely primary voters at 30 percent. Meanwhile, Gray sits at a reported 27 percent, which is where Gray was when the poll was last taken.
It appears that Gray’s numbers are stalling because of the aforesaid corruption allegations.
The numbers are troubling for the Gray administration, and after a testy mayoral debate Wednesday night, it appears that both Bowser and the incumbent may need to rethink their strategies.
A debate hosted by local CBS affiliate WUSA9 featured Gray, Bowser, and fellow primary candidates Tommy Wells and Jack Evans, both of whom sit on the D.C. Council. Surprisingly, Wells grabbed the attention of viewers in the moderated debate, with Bowser losing an incredible amount of steam after she criticized African-American women for not supporting her campaign. Gray and Evans also stumbled, according to viewers and their votes on the debate.
If the Washington Poll numbers hold true, voters would be booting a one-term mayor for the second election in a row. During the last mayoral election, Gray bested Adrian Fenty in a hotly contested race for the mayor’s office.
Mayor Gray’s not out of this race yet, though, as his approval rating sits at 53 percent compared to 39 percent. Bowser’s a fresh face on the scene while Evans and Wells have been fixtures in the old guard of D.C. politics. Either way, all things come down to April 1 when the polls open citywide in the mayoral primary.
See the Washington Post D.C. mayoral poll here.
Correction: Wells joined the D.C. Council in 2007, thus making him a relative newcomer as well.
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