Don’t worry. The fun you’ve had all summer isn’t coming to an end because the primaries have been held. D.C. Council races were overshadowed by the mayoral campaigns. But starting today, the media and others will turn their attention to them.
The D.C. Republican Committee ran several candidates. They, Democrats and Statehood/Green Party winners face off in the November general election. Look for real excitement in Wards 1 and 3, where some voters remain unhappy with the incumbents.
By far the best entertainment may be found in Ward 3. Incumbent Democrat Mary Cheh ran unopposed but annoyed many in her base by throwing her support behind mayoral contender Vincent Gray; A majority of white residents worried that his victory would stall education reform since he was unwilling to say decisively whether he would fire or retain Michelle Rhee. The controversial schools chancellor may be a near God in some communities but the majority of African Americans want her gone yesterday. With a strong base among blacks, Gray wasn’t going to jeopardize his political future with a Rhee embrace.
Republican candidate David Hedgepeth endorsed Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. The moderate conservative said he has firsthand experience with Rhee and liked what has happened thus far.
“[Cheh’s] endorsement of Gray gave me an opening I otherwise would not have had,” Hedgepeth told me during an interview before Tuesday’s primary. “It just showed how out of touch she is as a council member, to go against the supermajority of her constituents.”
Cheh, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, didn’t respond to my request for comment.
Hedgepeth said his opponent’s mayoral endorsement coupled with her prickly temperament and failure to focus on ward-specific issues have made her vulnerable. “I’ve been in touch with many Democrats who are not happy with her.”
He will need those Democrats, all of Ward 3’s 7,896 Republicans and a sizable portion of its 10,914 independent voters, if he intends to unseat Cheh. Historically, a win in the Democratic primary has virtually assured a general election victory.
“I know it’s an uphill battle,” conceded Hedgepeth, adding he expects Cheh to go national.
“[She] will talk about [Senate Republican leader] Mitch McConnell, and [House Republican leader] John Boehner and Sarah Palin,” continued Hedgepeth. “If residents respond to that they will deprive themselves of a council member who cares about issues they are concerned about.”
Any discussion of national politics by either candidate likely will backfire. These days the public isn’t enamored with either party in Congress.
So, it’s better to keep it local — hyperlocal. Hedgepeth said among issues on which he intends to focus will be concerns of renters, pedestrian safety and, of course, education — the future of reform.
“[Cheh] has had a disturbing tendency to legislate for the few at the expense of the many,” said Hedgepeth. In other words, she’s the special interests’ pol.
Those are fighting words. Let the slugging begin.
Jonetta Rose Barras’s column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
