Anonymous wrote:
It's Mayor Catania the moment he files. Get used to it.

He's focused on education, something black voters benefit from, unlike Fenty's bike lanes and dog parks.

He has inner-circle experience, but outsider status, which we love of our politicians.

He's got my vote and I'm a black woman who typically votes strictly along party and race lines. (Yep, I said it.)

Catania is the next DC Mayor.

You are not the first person who I have heard this from almost verbatim. Catania also has more support across the river than some might think.

It's Mayor Catania the moment he files. Get used to it.

He's focused on education, something black voters benefit from, unlike Fenty's bike lanes and dog parks.

He has inner-circle experience, but outsider status, which we love of our politicians.

He's got my vote and I'm a black woman who typically votes strictly along party and race lines. (Yep, I said it.)

Catania is the next DC Mayor.

+1. The only real threat to victory for Bowser is turnout. There's no love lost between her camp and Gray's. Much of his natural constituency across the river may not bother to vote. If parents across the city vote in their thousands for Catania, he has a hope in hell.

I think what will matter in this election is who can motivate the base to come out and vote. I'm not seeing Bowser as charasmatic, but that could change. Catania has a lot of energy, but he can be awfully arrogant. Fenty's problem was that he became not only arrogant with city workers but also with the voters. But I'm a single issue voter - education, and I will vote regardless of a candidate's personality. Not sure how many like-minded education-voters there are out there. There are so many people throughout this city that want good schools, whether WotP, EotP, or East of the River. People desperately want to get their kids into schools that are safe and provide for a quality learning environment. These people may not be the majority of all DC citizens, but they are highly motivated to vote. It'll be interesting. I don't think Bowser can sit on the fence and not commit to an educational program.

BTW Gray was going to beat Fenty one way or another. Fenty lost the election by his disenfranchising attitude. I voted for him the second time too, but it was only because I thought he would further propel the schools. Nevertheless, I understand fully why he lost and that's been a big draw-back on education reform.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I think she is wrong. Catania stands a huge chance of winning this election. Unless you are voting on special interests alone, David Catania is the far superior candidate!!

It's just crazy unlikely: he's not a democrat, he's white, he's gay. Bowser would have to lose her ability to speak to lose the election.

Oh really? Tell that to Adrian Fenty. He lost an election with one of the biggest approval ratings imaginable for mayor of major urban city.

Then there's Michael Bloomberg in NYC.

And let's not forget that a black man named Barack HUSSEIN Obama was elected twice.

All politics are local.

Yeah, and our "local" is Washington, D.C. You can read this board for any length of time and see how sensitive the issue of race is in this city. A politician can make up any damned lie about racism this or racist that and win an election. It will be very, very hard for this city to pull the lever in favor of a white candidate, even if the majority of folks agree he is a decent guy, AND while losing a lot of votes off the top from folks who believe their religion won't allow them to vote for him. It will be interesting to see if Bowser pulls out any of the old D.C. rhetoric if Catania gets close in the polls.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I think she is wrong. Catania stands a huge chance of winning this election. Unless you are voting on special interests alone, David Catania is the far superior candidate!!

It's just crazy unlikely: he's not a democrat, he's white, he's gay. Bowser would have to lose her ability to speak to lose the election.

Oh really? Tell that to Adrian Fenty. He lost an election with one of the biggest approval ratings imaginable for mayor of major urban city.

Then there's Michael Bloomberg in NYC.

And let's not forget that a black man named Barack HUSSEIN Obama was elected twice.

All politics are local.

When Fenty lost - Gray ran an illegal campaign. He paid someone to be a fake candidate and derail all sense of public debates by attacking Fenty at every opportunity as well as the shadow campaign. Who knows where DC would be if Fenty and Gray ran head to head within the "rules" established for mayoral elections.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I think she is wrong. Catania stands a huge chance of winning this election. Unless you are voting on special interests alone, David Catania is the far superior candidate!!

It's just crazy unlikely: he's not a democrat, he's white, he's gay. Bowser would have to lose her ability to speak to lose the election.

Oh really? Tell that to Adrian Fenty. He lost an election with one of the biggest approval ratings imaginable for mayor of major urban city.

Then there's Michael Bloomberg in NYC.

And let's not forget that a black man named Barack HUSSEIN Obama was elected twice.

All politics are local.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I think she is wrong. Catania stands a huge chance of winning this election. Unless you are voting on special interests alone, David Catania is the far superior candidate!!

It's just crazy unlikely: he's not a democrat, he's white, he's gay. Bowser would have to lose her ability to speak to lose the election.

Frankly, the truism of Bowser's shoo-ism is as disturbing to me as the single-issue enthusiasm behind Catania.

He can say almost anything about schools, and gain twenty voters.

Bowser needs enthusiasm and turnout. There's no evidence she can generate either of those things.

Has anyone polled this race in the last month?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I think she is wrong. Catania stands a huge chance of winning this election. Unless you are voting on special interests alone, David Catania is the far superior candidate!!

It's just crazy unlikely: he's not a democrat, he's white, he's gay. Bowser would have to lose her ability to speak to lose the election.

OP here, we'll see. I used to tell my friends in other cities this, saying DC could never elect a white mayor. A lot of that was based on that fact that, while DC is less and less black every year, registered democrats in DC are still mostly black.

But then a white non-democrat who talks sense came onto the scene, and all of a sudden I am not so sure.

I am also curious about turnout, which I expect will be a lot higher with a contested general election.

Plus, pretty risky to give up on the issue of the decade, education.

Anyway we'll see.

Anonymous wrote:Oh I think she is wrong. Catania stands a huge chance of winning this election. Unless you are voting on special interests alone, David Catania is the far superior candidate!!

It's just crazy unlikely: he's not a democrat, he's white, he's gay. Bowser would have to lose her ability to speak to lose the election.

Anonymous wrote:Bowser figures she can cede Education and still win. She is probably right.

+1

Oh I think she is wrong. Catania stands a huge chance of winning this election. Unless you are voting on special interests alone, David Catania is the far superior candidate!!

Bowser figures she can cede Education and still win. She is probably right.

I don't work for Catania, seriously, I don't. But the guy is on fire. Read this through to the end:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/catania-seeks-to-shift-school-renovations-add-at-risk-funds/2014/05/14/cc295b18-db7b-11e3-b745-87d39690c5c0_story.html

Finally, it occurs to someone that instead of spending $100m+ renovating partially or completely empty schools, maybe we should spend the money on renovating schools that are full or growing.

Plus, he's looking at what can be done in all neighborhoods. The application-only HS in Ward 7 is a big deal.

What is Bowser doing/saying in education right now?