Washington mayor loses re-election bid
Washington (CNN) - Mayor Adrian Fenty lost his re-election bid Tuesday, falling to City Council Chairman Vincent Gray in the District of Columbia's Democratic primary, the AP projected.
Early Wednesday morning, Gray led Fenty 53 percent to 47 percent, with 90 percent of the vote in.
Fenty swept into office in 2006 promising to fix the district's struggling schools, but he may have lost his bid for another term, in part, because of how he tried to reform them.
While it was a local election, the race attracted national attention, because its outcome could carry significant implications for the national debate over education reform.
Request for extended voting denied in DC
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/09/14/art.fentygray.signs.jpg caption="D.C. mayoral candidate Vincent Gray's request that voting time be extended due to reports of voting irregularities was denied."]
Washington (CNN) - The hotly contested Democratic mayoral primary in the nation's capital already has claims malfunctioning voting machines and other irregularities could have affected voting results.
But a request from the Vincent Gray for Mayor Campaign asking for extended voting time was denied by the DC Superior Court.
Traci Hughes, press secretary for Gray's campaign, said the campaign asked for extended voting hours because of reports of irregularities at polling stations during the day. The request for an injunction was denied by the DC Superior Court Tuesday evening. Hughes said the Gray campaign was "disappointed" by the decision but would wait for voting results before pressing the issue.
"I don't know at this point if we'll pursue it further," Hughes said. "Of course we're disappointed. But the polls closed half and hour ago and for right now we will just await the results."
Obama stays out of DC mayoral battle
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/13/art.adrianfenty.file5.gi.jpg caption="D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is in a tight race with City Council Chairman Vincent Gray for the Democratic primary, set for Tuesday."]
Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama is staying neutral in a bitter Democratic primary contest in his own backyard.
As voters in the District of Columbia cast ballots in Tuesday's primary, the White House reconfirmed that the president is not taking sides in the Democratic contest for mayor.
Last week Mayor Adrian Fenty, who faces a tough bid for a second term in office, told WTOP, the city's all news radio station, that he personally called the White House to ask for President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama's endorsement. Fenty endorsed then presidential candidate Obama prior to the 2008 D.C. primary.
"I have personally reached out," Fenty told WTOP. "I don't want to get into who I would have talked to for obvious reasons."
WASHINGTON, DC: Fenty predicts victory
Editor's note: Look for regular Trail Running field updates from CNN's anchors, correspondents and producers spread out across the country covering politics on the campaign trail. As always, the CNN Political Ticker is your source for up-to-the-minute political news– now even more so.
9:30 a.m. – District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty tells CNN he's "peaking at the right time" and predicts a Democratic primary win Tuesday over City Council Chairman Vincent Gray, despite polls suggesting otherwise. Fenty says "tough choices" have improved schools and security in the city but have alienated "special interests' and some voters.
D.C. mayoral primary may be felt far beyond the District
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/30/art.fenty.file3.gi.jpg caption =" D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is in a tight race with City Council Chairman Vincent Gray for the Democratic primary, set for Tuesday."]
Washington (CNN) - Mayor Adrian Fenty swept into office in 2006 promising to fix the District of Columbia's struggling schools. Now, Fenty is in the fight of his career in part because of how he's tried to reform the district's schools.
Fenty is in a nail-biter of a race in Tuesday's primary, running neck-and-neck with challenger and City Council Chairman Vincent Gray.
"We've got an uphill battle because we made tough decisions," said Fenty while campaigning at a local street fair. "We'll continue to make those tough decisions because they're right for the people. But we're not naive. We know this has cost us a little political popularity that we came into the polls with."
While this is a local election - the Democratic mayoral primary - the race is being closely watched far beyond the District because the outcome could carry significant implications for the national debate over education reform.
Newark Mayor endorses Fenty for mayor of D.C.
(CNN) - Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has a fan in Newark.
Earlier this week Newark Mayor Cory Booker tweeted his support for Fenty, stating "I am supporting Fenty in Washington DC – I hope you will consider doing so as well." Sixty-three of his followers obliged by retweeting the message. Citing Fenty's education leadership, Booker tweeted again on Wednesday, writing "@fenty2010's ed reform efforts have given hope 2 cities across the country. Can you retweet your support for Mayor Fenty?"
A Clarus poll released Wednesday evening indicated that D.C. City Council Chairman Vincent Gray leads Fenty 45 to 38 percent among likely Democratic primary voters, with 14 percent undecided. Fenty, now touting himself as the underdog, could use the boost that Booker hopes to provide.
The mayoral primary in DC will take place in five days. Since Democrats comprise a majority in DC, the winner of the Democratic primary on September 14 will be considered the favorite in the general election this November.
Second straight poll spells trouble for D.C. Mayor
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/30/art.fenty.file3.gi.jpg caption =" A new poll reveals Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is trailing his Democratic opponent by seven points."]Washington (CNN) - With six days to go until a crucial mayoral primary in the District of Columbia, a new survey suggests Mayor Adrian Fenty is fighting for his political life.
A Clarus Poll released Wednesday evening indicates that challenger and D.C. City Council Chairman Vincent Gray leads Fenty 45 to 38 percent among likely Democratic primary voters, with 14 percent undecided. Gray's seven point advantage is within the poll's sampling error. Since Democrats dominate elections in the city, the winner of the September 14 Democratic primary will be considered the overwhelming favorite in the November general election.
The Clarus poll follows by eight days a Washington Post survey that indicated Gray held a 13 point advantage over Fenty among registered Democratic voters and held a 17 point margin among those likely to vote in the Democratic contest.
According to the Clarus poll, Gray, who jumped into the race in late March, leads Fenty by a 62 to 17 percent margin among African American voters, with Fenty holding a 68 to 22 percent advantage among white voters. Fifty-five percent of the survey's sample was African American and 38 percent was white. The Washington Post poll also indicated a large racial divide.
DC Mayor trails in poll as early voting begins
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/30/art.fenty.file3.gi.jpg caption =" A new poll shows Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty trailing his Democratic challenger by 13 points."]Washington (CNN) - Early voting begins Monday in the District of Columbia, 15 days before the crucial primaries.
The start of early voting comes one day after a new Washington Post poll indicates Mayor Adrian Fenty trails his Democratic challenger, City Council Chairman Vincent Gray, by double digits. Since Democrats dominate elections in the city, the winner of the Democratic primary will be considered the overwhelming favorite in the November general election.
According to the survey, Gray leads Fenty 49 to 36 percent among registered Democratic voters. But his lead swells to 53 to 36 percent among those likely to cast ballots in the Democratic primary.
The poll indicates that most Democrats polled give the mayor credit for his accomplishments during his term in office and say he brought needed change to the city. But voters are split on whether Fenty, who's running for a second term, is willing to listen to different points of view and whether he understands the problems of people like them. And by a 13-point margin, a plurality say the mayor's not honest and trustworthy.
Fenty ally compares embattled D.C. Mayor to Jesus
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/13/art.adrianfenty.file5.gi.jpg caption ="A top supporter of incumbent Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty compared his re-election bid to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ."]Washington (CNN) - It's probably a bad move to compare your preferred candidate in a mayoral race to Jesus – especially when city streets seem to have more potholes than the Old City has stones.
But that's exactly what happened in the Washington, D.C. mayor's race over the weekend, when a top supporter of incumbent Adrian Fenty likened the mayor's tough re-election fight to the crucifixion of Christ.
Fenty is in danger of losing a costly Democratic primary battle against city council chairman Vincent Gray.
Ron Moten, a community activist and key Fenty ally, took to a campaign rally at RFK Stadium on Sunday and blasted Gray as a "flip-flopper" who will turn back the progress made by Fenty, who was elected in 2006.
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