Fenty now calls himself 'underdog' in re-election bid

Mayor Adrian Fenty is casting himself at the “underdog” in his re-election campaign, just four years after he won support of every precinct in the District.

The tides that have been turning against the mayor’s re-election became more evident Sunday with the release of a Washington Post poll that showed the incumbent with 36 percent of the vote against D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray’s 49 percent. Despite a message change in which Fenty has apologized for not listening well enough and promised to do better, the incumbent mayor has been unable to re-establish his base. The Post poll also continued to show a trend of black voters fleeing the mayor. The loss of their support threatens to sink Fenty’s re-election.