A lot can change in two days.
On Friday, Mayor Adrian Fenty told The Washington Examiner editorial board that he didn’t know if he was an underdog because he didn’t have a good sense of the electorate; polls, the mayor said, shouldn’t be trusted even with just 18 days to go before the election.
Apparently, they are trustworthy with just 16 days, though. When The Washington Post rolled out a poll on Sunday showing Fenty trailing D.C. Council Chair and mayoral challenger Vince Gray by 13 points, the mayor changed his rhetoric: I’m the underdog he declared.
Obviously, the switch was the result of the poll, but why change his tune?
Fenty answered that question for us. As he declared himself the underdog, he asked the press to start scrutinizing D.C. Council Chairman Vince Gray. In other words, being the underdog to Fenty means he should get a pass while the leading campaign should take the hits.
Fenty will have to sell his underdog status to the press and voters. But the incumbent does not a good underdog make.
As mayor, Fenty has two megaphones through which he can address voters: his campaign and the public affairs office in his administration. He has been using both to bolster his chances. His public affairs office sends out press releases on everything positive Fenty the mayor does, from getting funding for schools to cutting the latest ribbon. The campaign sends out similar releases, as well as others noting the bad things Gray has done, meant to better the chances of Fenty the candidate.
Fenty the underdog has an uphill battle, no different from the uphill battle Fenty the mayor now faces.
