Mayor Vince Gray’s endorsement of Sekou Biddle in the race to permanently fill an at-large D.C. Council seat has effectively narrowed the field to two main candidates as the debate becomes a battle over who can best claim the Michelle Rhee title of school reformer. Gray’s endorsement comes with the heavy weight of a political machine that has gathered little dust since Gray ousted Mayor Adrian Fenty in September’s Democratic primary. Biddle also has the advantage of holding the seat on an interim basis after winning a close vote by the D.C. Democratic State Committee earlier this month. That leaves the remaining dozen Democratic candidates as outsiders looking in, and puts the only Republican in the race, Patrick Mara, in the position as Biddle’s main challenger in the April special election.
“Gray’s endorsement of Sekou Biddle certifies him as the Democratic candidate to beat,” said political consultant Terry Lynch. But “most political action has the equal and opposite reaction … it may help Biddle, but it may potentially hurt Biddle.”
