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In a tough reelection fight, Fenty softens his approach
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TV ad, now says he was wrong. Samantha Nolan, the commu-
nity activist on the list, got a knock on the door of her Chevy Chase home one late afternoon. She couldn’t recall the day, but it was hot, so she invited Fenty to come inside. “I don’t feel comfortable talk- ing about what I discussed with him,” she said, adding that his humility, however, won her over. “It’s good when you have a one- on-one with a candidate. . . . I like the fact that he’s still out there and he can listen to his short- comings.” “There’s no such thing as a per-
fect candidate,” she said. “There are nice guys out there, and there are people out there with great experience who are not people people. To find everything in one package is asking a lot.
“After four years with Fenty,
we’re definitely in a better place.” Fenty’s new approach is an ef-
fort by the campaign to smooth his image — one the mayor ac- knowledged is of his own mak- ing. Whether the strategy works won’t be known until the Sept. 14 primary, because the new tactics have been rolled out so close to the election, said Montague Kern, an associate professor of political communications at Rut- gers.
“Early advertising is most pow-
erful,” said Kern, a D.C. resident. “The mayor already has an im- age, so it’s going to be less effec- tive in changing his image.” But Kern noted that Fenty’s campaign literature, already mailed to voters, shows a con- crete record of accomplishments, so contrition could sway some voters.
“I think a backfire could occur if people think he’s not sincere,” she said. “The kiss of death in a campaign is, ‘Is he just a politi- cian?’ ”
Image trouble
“I think a backfire could occur if people think he’s not sincere. The kiss of death . . . is, ‘Is he just a politician?’ ”
— Montague Kern, professor of political communications at Rutgers
When Fenty won election in the Democratic primary almost four years ago, he not only bested his opponents in every precinct but also became the city’s young- est mayor, ushering in wide- spread optimism about the Dis- trict’s future. But in the past year, his public profile has been bat- tered by missteps and miscalcu- lations: his secrecy surrounding trips to Dubai and Beijing at the expense of foreign governments, his refusal to give D.C. Council members tickets to Washington Nationals games, his absence at funerals and memorial services of several victims of last year’s Metro crash, and his failure to meet with poet Maya Angelou and late civil rights icon Dorothy Height. To improve his image, the Fen-
ty campaign has employed differ- ent lines of attack in the past few months. Initially, the mayor em- braced his perceived arrogance, saying publicly he deserved cred- it for improvement schools and lowering crime rates in the Dis-
trict. Later, TV ads featured sup- porters playing down his persona and praising his “results” — new recreation centers, businesses, schools and affordable housing. Then Fenty stepped up his at- tacks on Gray, linking him to the city’s financial crisis in the 1990s by reminding voters that he headed the beleaguered Depart- ment of Human Services. The attacks expanded this month to two TV ads that began airing the day after Fenty lost a straw poll among Democrats in his home base of Ward 4. The spots used grainy photos of Gray, portraying him as a failed bu- reaucrat. The Gray campaign says Fen-
ty’s recent epiphany does not rep- resent “a change of heart.” “This is a change of strategy,”
said Mo Elleithee, Gray’s senior campaign strategist. “This is a calculated political move.” Elleithee said Fenty has not apologized for awarding at least $82 million in city contracts to friends and fraternity brothers without D.C. Council approval, a matter under investigation by a council-appointed lawyer. “He still refuses to apologize for his long record of cronyism,” Elleithee said. “Those aren’t the actions of someone who feels real remorse.” Gray still faces a disadvantage because Fenty has raised more money — nearly $4.7million to Gray’s $1.3 million — letting the mayor finance his latest strategy. “He’s got the money to be up on the television,” Elleithee said. “We’re just going to keep going out there and making our case.”
Making amends Fenty’s new effort, which he
says is part self-realization and part campaign strategy, was born out of concern by a handful of campaign advisers and support- ers that he was not connecting with former loyalists who had turned their backs on him or re- main undecided. A list of voters to contact was
quietly assembled by supporters, including City Administrator Neil O. Albert and council mem-
SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010
PHOTOS BY BILL O’LEARY/THE WASHINGTON POST
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty greets Joan Thomas of Northwest Washington on Tuesday. In a campaign ad released last week, Fenty promises to be “more inclusive” if elected to a second term as mayor.
ber Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4). Fenty said the conversations with voters on that list had an impact on the TV ad the cam- paign released last week. In the ad, Fenty is on the steps of his childhood home, looking straight into the camera and admitting to “mistakes” and promising to be “more inclusive.” Fenty said he had not appreci-
ated how many residents he had excluded until Gray entered the race, and he began a more in- tense canvassing operation. “That’s when I really started to
get the feedback from people, and then, at that point, you learn it, and then you talk about it and tell people what you’re going to do,” Fenty said. “The commercial . . . we’ve been putting together for some time in recognizing that, while we delivered results, that there’s definitely some things I did wrong, made mis- takes . . . I have to improve upon for next time.” Blondine Hughes, a former aide to then-council member Fenty, said she felt compelled to call him this month after the straw poll in Ward 4, which he represented as council member for six years before taking office as mayor in 2007. “I left a message. I talked so long the tape ran out. . . . You have to listen to people. If you
POSTLOCAL.com The candidates, in their own words
Video: Adrian M. Fenty explains the shift in his campaign approach, saying he’ll be a better mayor if reelected. Watch the video and get continuing coverage of the D.C. mayoral election at
PostLocal.com.
Debate, Sept. 1: Watch the debate between Fenty and challenger Vincent C. Gray, sponsored by Washington Post
have hurt people, I was taught you say you’re sorry,” she said, adding that she shared her con- cerns with campaign staffers. “They said, ‘Oh, you can’t get him to say that.’ ” But days after her long mes-
sage — in which she also told him that he has a good record — Hughes, 75, said she watched him humble himself in a televised de- bate with Gray. It wasn’t an apol- ogy, but it was close. “I sat here and I cried. I
couldn’t hold back the tears,” Hughes said. In that moment, she added, she was proud of the mayor. A former Fenty supporter who did not want to be identified, for
Live, at noon Sept. 1, streamed live on
WashingtonPostLive.com.
More coverage: The Post asked Fenty and Gray: “How will the challenges facing the city for the next four years be different from the last four? What will you do to address them?” Read their responses in today’s paper. Go to Local Opinions on C5.
fear of retaliation, warns friends who are getting calls to be wary. “Vote for him because you like his record, not because you think he’s going to be different.” Beyond owning up to errors of judgment and strategy, Fenty said he understands that he must convince voters that he’s genuine, that he truly cares and that he’s up to the job. “I think voters will judge for themselves whether or not they believe that I will make adjust- ments,” he said. “You can’t change until you learn it. “Learn the mistake, admit the
mistake, make an adjustment. You know what I mean?”
stewartn@washpost.com
Ward 8 comes through for Gray
Fenty is trounced in straw poll with a lift from Barry
by Tim Craig Democrats in Ward 8 voted
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overwhelmingly Saturday to en- dorse Vincent C. Gray (D) in the mayoral primary after a heated day of politicking that included council member Marion Barry officially getting behind the council chairman. In the latest in a series of en- dorsement votes from ward Democratic committees, about 80 percent of voters backed Gray over incumbent Adrian M. Fenty, allowing the council chairman to easily clear the 60 percent threshold a candidate needs to win the official backing of the committee.
Although Ward 8 has long been expected to be a Gray stronghold in the Sept. 14 Demo- cratic primary, he appeared to get a lift from Barry, a former mayor who represents Ward 8. Four years ago, Barry endorsed Fenty a week before the primary, although the two did not cam- paign together. On Saturday, Bar- ry donned a Gray T-shirt and hat and personally greeted nearly ev- ery registered Ward 8 Democrat who showed up for the straw poll. “I’ll be working hard for him,” said Barry, who in a robocall also urged Ward 8 residents to attend the straw poll. “We have just be- gun to fight.” But Barry’s support could prove problematic for Gray, who is trying to counter attacks by Fenty that he’s too connected to a former generation of District leaders. Barry remains popular in
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parts of the African American community, but many white vot- ers despise him. On Friday, when a photograph of Barry wearing a
Gray T-shirt first surfaced, Fenty advisers e-mailed the photo- graph to the City Hall press corps.
But Fenty, who is struggling to win over black voters, said in an interview Saturday that he’s fo- cused on his own campaign and does not plan to make Barry’s support for Gray an issue. Gray said he welcomed Barry’s
support. “You have 30 percent unem- ployment [in Ward 8], and he’s the council member,” Gray said. “I’m sure he’s concerned and wants somebody who is going to address the issue, and I intend to be a mayor for all people.” Gray told the voters at the
straw poll that he would work to expand vocational education and job training and create an infant and toddler pre-kindergarten program so mothers can go to work. “The No. 1 priority for me will
be getting people back to work again,” Gray said. Fenty told the crowd that he’s
made “some mistakes” as mayor but stressed that Ward 8 has re- ceived new libraries, recreational centers and grocery stores under his leadership. “Who amongst us is perfect?”
Fenty asked. “If you’re looking for a perfect mayor, that’s going to be a hard one to find.” Two lesser-known mayoral candidates also addressed the crowd. One of them, Sulaimon Brown, urged the voters to cast their ballots for Gray because “this is such a close race.” Former television reporter Leo Alexan- der, however, argued there is no difference between Fenty and Gray on issues such as fighting poverty and HIV/AIDS. “Your people are going to be pushed out of the city one at a time,” said Alexander, adding he represents “change.” Surrogates for the top candi-
dates were out in force in front of Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, where the voting took place. Fenty friend and campaign
“The No. 1 priority for me will be getting people back to
work again.” — Vincent C. Gray to Ward 8 voters at straw poll.
strategist Ronald Moten, co- founder of Peaceoholics, which has received millions of dollars in city contracts and grants un- der Fenty, was distributing cop- ies of a color magazine he pub- lished that attacks Gray’s record and defends Fenty. But Gray’s son, Carlos, noticed that it con- tained several spelling and gram- mar mistakes in the material. “Where is Miss Rhee?” Carlos shouted through a bullhorn, re- ferring to Schools Chancellor Mi- chelle Rhee. “Education is your platform, but you hand out this?” In the end, however, the out- come of the endorsement vote came down to people like Mike Jones. He arrived wearing a Fen- ty sticker. An hour later, after he voted, the sticker was gone. “I’m voting for Vincent Gray,”
Jones said.
craigt@washpost.com
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