Fresh from his sound defeat of D.C. Councilwoman Carol Schwartz in Tuesday’s Republican primary, Patrick Mara fell right back to the role of underdog — a position familiar to District Republicans.
The 33-year-old Mara, a newcomer to campaigns, dubbed his upset over the four-term incumbent as a “political earthquake,” but now reality sets in: Democrats will comprise 74 percent of the city’s electorate to the GOP’s seven percent in the General Election.
“I’ll continue this message of fiscal responsibility and supporting and enhancing reform of the school,” Mara, a government relations manager and Columbia Heights resident, said Wednesday. “These two pieces, they contain a message that will carry a majority of the voters my way.”
Voters on Nov. 4 will choose two at-large members for the council, and one must represent a minority party. The choices: Mara, incumbent Democratic Councilman Kwame Brown, independents Michael A. Brown and Dee Hunter and Statehood Green David Schwartzman.
Kwame Brown is a near lock with the “D” on the ballot.
Michael Brown, son of the late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, challenged Adrian Fenty in 2006 for the Democratic mayoral nomination. Although he lost the race, Brown gained a citywide following during his campaign. Hunter, a self-described “Independent Democrat,” is a well-known advisory neighborhood commissioner in Ward 1.
Mara was backed by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and he will need their money and clout again if he hopes to win in November.
“Our goal was never to just defeat Carol Schwartz,” the chamber said in a statement. “Patrick’s platform is one that has resonated with the Chamber’s membership.”
Mara claimed to have knocked on more than 8,000 doors in advance of the primary. The pound-the-pavement strategy should be easier now, he said: No more searching for the one Republican household in a sea of Democratic residences.
“With his upset victory over Carol Schwartz, Pat Mara proved he can run a quality campaign and raise significant funds,” said Chuck Thies, a D.C. political operative. “No one should doubt his ability to win.”
Victories Tuesday for the council’s other Democratic incumbents — Jack Evans in Ward 2, Muriel Bowser in Ward 4, Yvette Alexander in Ward 7 and Marion Barry in Ward 8 — all but ensure they will retain their seats. Evans faces Republican Christina Culver in November.
“We really did wipe him out,” Evans said of his opponent Cary Silverman. “I’m very happy with the results.”
