The D.C. mayor’s race feels like Newark, N.J., in 2002. Then, Sharpe James, the incumbent mayor, faced Corey Booker, a bright, savvy, 30-something councilman. Not to be outdone by someone he believed hadn’t paid his dues, James threw at Booker the entire political establishment — labor unions, the business community and civil rights leaders who had been feeding at the public trough since the death of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The real mudslinging came in Act 3, when James deliberately distorted Booker’s record and accused him of, among other things, not being a “real” African-American.

Mayoral candidate and D.C. Council Chairwoman Linda Cropp appears to be a James disciple. Facing stagnant poll numbers, she has unleashed an attack on Adrian Fenty, her chief opponent, whom I have endorsed.