DC Voters Head To The Polls To Select Next Mayor

UPDATE: 10:05PM — The Associated Press reports that Vincent Gray has been elected Washington, D.C.’s next Mayor.

WASHINGTON — While most of the media spotlight is focused on the battle for Congress, Washingtonians hit the polls today to cast their ballot for a mayoral race that many feel was decided two months ago.

Current D.C. City Councilman Vincent Gray beat out incumbent D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty in the September 14 Democratic primary. With no Republicans on the ballot in D.C. this year, Gray was annointed by many as the city’s next mayor.

However, since his loss, Fenty has received a swell of support to either change parties or run as a write-in candidate. Voters told Talk Radio News Service today that because of his attempts to fix the city’s miserable public school system, Fenty is still a viable option in their minds.

“I voted for Fenty in primary, and would have liked to see him stick around, said Washington resident Marin Ryan.

However, immediately after he lost the primary to Gray, Fenty pledged that he would not seek the mayorship as a write-in candidate, and ceded the race to his opponent, who then promptly asked Fenty’s controversial schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee, to resign.

Yet by making education a top issue in the campaign, Fenty and Rhee scored a moral victory. Gray promoted Rhee’s deputy to her old position on an interim basis, and has vowed to continue the reforms set in motion under Fenty’s administration.