Only the most rosy eyed optimist (or pessimist, as the case may be) could believe that electing a lone Republican to the Democratic-controlled D.C. Council will change much of anything, let alone transform that chronically inept, scandal-plagued legislative body into some sort of right-wing bastion. This is especially true because that lone Republican is at-large candidate Patrick Mara, who describes himself as “very, very moderate.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, criticized last year for thanking President Obama for sending federal aid during Hurricane Sandy, acknowledged that Mara is his kind of Republican when he recorded a robocall urging 10,000 of the District’s 35,000 registered Republicans to vote for Mara in Tuesday’s at-large special election.