Fenty wins GOP primary on write-ins (Dem wins GOP Primary as a write-in)

NBC Washington ^ | Sept. 17, 2010 | P.J. ORVETTI

[SvenMagnussen]

It turns out Adrian Fenty did win the D.C. mayoral primary on Tuesday -- just not the one he had expected.

D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics Public Affairs Manager Alysoun McLaughlin, who has forgotten what sleep is after the past week, announced at the crack of 3 a.m. today that Fenty had received 822 write-in votes in the Republican primary, enough to make him the GOP winner. Fenty has until 4:45 p.m. today to claim the prize, at which point I assume the hard-working DCBOEE crew will lock up for the weekend and go have a stiff drink.

Fenty actually got more votes in the Republican primary than Leo Alexander and two other also-rans received in the Democratic race. But Fenty offered an enthusiastic and seemingly sincere endorsement to Democratic nominee Vincent Gray yesterday, so it looks like the Republican prize will go unclaimed. (Faith claimed the Statehood-Green nomination after no write-in candidate topped her 189 votes; several other minor party and independent candidates will also face Gray in November.)

Fenty just can’t catch a break this week. On the evening after his defeat, NBC Nightly News ran a long story about how D.C. voters had ousted ... Michelle Rhee.

“While it was just a city mayor’s race,” Brian Williams said, the result “was heard across the country by those who follow education reform.”

In an editorial this morning, the New York Times amplifies the “Rhee equals reform” meme, suggesting that the defeat of the Rhee/Fenty ticket could throw D.C. schools into a tailspin.

[GoCards]

Wow. What a strange turn of events.....

[La Lydia]

I am no Fenty fan, but he is marginally less of a demagogue than Vincent Gray and has tried to crack down on the teachers union. Cold comfort, but comfort nonetheless. Michelle Rhee must be cracking out the champagne for lunch today. Gray was Marion Berry’s hand-picked candidate.

[RockinRight]

FWIW, while liberal, Fenty seems to be less insane than most DC Mayors, and actually seems like a decent guy.

[tallyhoe]

Do they allow the Washington D. C. congressmen the right to vote on budget Items?

[Deb]

Well done D.C. Democrats, you have just doomed your children to lives of ignorance and poverty. Take a bow.

[ridesthemiles]

Does this mean that Rhee will hold her job & keep on cleaning up the ‘education’ system in the District of Criminals???

[achilles2000]

Fenty lost in large part because the education establishment wants to be rid of Rhee.

Over a year ago I predicted this would happen. Government schools are unreformable, and this is yet another illustration of the point.

Don’t cry for Rhee, though. She accomplished little, although she followed the “best” advice of the reformers, and she is a bit of a sleaze....but then you would have to know more about her personal life than is worthwhile.

[silverleaf]

Fenty is biracial- maybe his white half won the GOP primary

sarc

[5thGenTexan]

Will the GOP back him while not backing O’Donnell?

[kenmcg]

DC.....who cares? Is that part of the USA or Cuba?

[traditional1]

I suspect that in November, the Teachers’ Union will pull out all the stops to make sure Fenty doesn’t win, and the biggest vote fraud EVER will come to pass....Fenty, if he can win, surely will have the Teachers’ Union on his mind when he takes office, and there may be a REAL un-covering of the corruption and Democrat-machine-Union-control realities in ALL Unions that comes forward.

[bjorn14]

Only in committee, not the final version that goes to the House floor.

[tallyhoe]

That is what I thought! There was some talk to allow the congressmen from Washington DC a Vote which I am glad they did not do!

[bjorn14]

Trust me this is an ongoing issue. DC wants to have a Rep. and two Senators. The DC lisence plates have as their tagline “Taxation Without Representation”

Google DC Vote

[tallyhoe]

I know the Liberals and Democrats are for the D.C. vote but we need to stop this for it is unconstitutional!