Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh endorsed D.C. Council Chairman Vince Gray for Mayor campaign Thursday morning, a move that may turn once solid Fenty turf into a muddy playing field.
Cheh said Thursday morning on TBDTV that she voted for Gray on Wednesday. That comes as no surprise. She has been vocal about her opposition to the Fenty administration for some time, and has been particularly ruffled when it comes to D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles.
But the endorsement now means she’ll be hitting the campaign trail with Gray. That’ll start Thursday afternoon when the two greet voters at Pete’s Pizza on Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights.
The councilwoman is running unopposed in the Democratic primary, which probably made her feel comfortable getting fully behind Gray in a ward that should swing for Fenty. According to a Washington Post poll released Sunday, 55 percent of Democratic voters in Wards 2 and 3 support the mayor.
If Cheh’s support of Gray doesn’t fully convince Ward 3 voters to switch their allegiance, it might at least confuse them enough not to vote at all.
That would be a huge loss to Fenty, who needs those voters to counter his near certain heavy loss in Wards 7 and 8, where much of the majority black population feels rejected by the mayor.
