Jonetta Rose Barras: Is the third time a charm for Mara?

Surely Patrick Mara has mastered the science of citywide campaigns. He has run twice for the at-large seat on the D.C. Council. The April 23 special election will be his third attempt.

He’s racked up several endorsements — the D.C. Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, for example — that raise his chances to be victorious. But the obstacle Mara faced previously still confronts him. He’s a Republican in a predominantly Democratic town.