Mayor’s Race 2014

Muriel Bowser had a good week. First, the poll conducted by the Washington Post showed her with a commanding lead of 17 points. The rap on her was that when she was on the same stage with David Catania she would be vastly inferior and Catania would make her look bad. I was not at the first debate at American University with the three candidates present, but the published reports and word of mouth was that Bowser more than held her own.

Let’s get back to that poll. If subsequent polls show her continuing to lead with large margins, Catania will be tagged as a loser. That will make fundraising difficult and the campaign will be demoralized. Bowser has a huge fundraising lead now with more than $1 million in the bank. Catania’s challenge is to show that he is still a contender — that he has a chance. African American voters are overwhelmingly against him. In the Post poll, he gets only 11 percent of their vote. Many thought he would do considerably better with that group.

Although the poll does not show it, I firmly believe Carol Schwartz cuts into Catania’s potential with Independents. I have not said much about her efforts in past columns. Her past week was not good at all. Her attempt at rousing her troops and demonstrating grassroots support was downright dismal. Her Freedom Plaza rally produced a miniscule crowd. In addition, she was a no-show at the D.C. statehood hearing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 15. (Both Bowser and Catania were there.)

The D.C. statehood hearing deserves some comment. If there ever was truth to the old saw making “a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,” it sure applied here.

The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) didn’t even push his own bill. D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s behavior was more appalling. She gushed over Chairman Carper and never asked him to round up the votes necessary to get the bill out of committee and onto the floor for passage. Once again, Holmes displays incumbent malfeasance.

Both Bowser and Catania sat in their seats appearing intent and interested. One of them could have distinguished themselves by emphatically saying that the hearing was a sham and charade. Taking on Norton for her pathetic role would have received some attention and demonstrated political courage. It’s too bad that both candidates passed up this golden opportunity.

At this point in the campaign, the traditional voting patterns are holding true.

Mark Plotkin has been writing about the mayor’s race for the Georgetowner and will be doing so until the November election. He is a political analyst and contributor to BBC on American politics.