Mayor Adrian Fenty moved Wednesday to break down the wall of arrogance his critics say he has built up over the past four years, asking voters to once again believe in him.
The emotional appeal came at the close of a fiery debate Wednesday afternoon during which Fenty repeatedly slapped down attacks from his rival, D.C. Council Chairman Vince Gray. Fenty’s request that voters “believe in me again” was punctuated immediately following the debate by Fenty’s tearful wife appearing at the mayor’s side for the first time during the campaign.
Michelle Fenty, a full time attorney and mother of three who has spent much of her time as the District’s first lady in private, said she will now join her husband on the campaign trail.
“This is his city, and these are his people,” Michelle Fenty said. “After everything that’s been said about him, it’s my duty to speak up and let people know who he is.”
Down in the polls by as much as 17 points, Fenty is making what could be the last stand of his political life. Over the past month, he has asked voters to forgive him for not listening and has promised he’ll do better in a second term. On Wednesday, he took that message a step further, saying he has made the apologies, and now it’s time for him and the city to move forward.
“If you do not find it in your hearts to forgive me and give me a second chance, I will have no one to blame but myself,” Fenty said during his closing statement. “However, if you believe like I do, that mayors make mistakes and that people can learn from their mistakes. … I ask you to believe in me again, believe in D.C. and believe in this campaign.”
Four years ago, Fenty made history by winning every precinct in the city. But polls show that his ability to unite the city has eroded. As the perception of the mayor as a gentrifying force has grown, black voters have fled his base. He’s now relying heavily on high voter turnout in the affluent white neighborhoods in Northwest for a victory.
During the debate, Gray sought to widen the gap between black and white voters by blaming the Fenty administration for not finding ways to cure the high unemployment rates in the majority black neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.
But Fenty fired back, saying it was leaders like Gray who failed to focus on education in the 1990s that has caused the high unemployment rates in the District’s poorest sections.
Despite his need to bridge the racial divide, Fenty didn’t use the word “race” until nearly 20 minutes into the hour-long debate when he was asked if it hurts that black voters don’t like him.
“Anybody who says they don’t want someone of their own race and background to like them, you’ve gotta think about and yes, of course, it hurts,” he said.
