Fenty wins D.C. Republican primary

[Meeker]

I suspected this would happen. No one was running on the Republican side so there was just a write-in option. Unsurprisingly the top vote getters were the high-profile candidates from the other side, and considering the demographic make-up of the Republican Party it should be no surprise that Fenty got more write-in votes than Gray.

Fenty has until the end of the day to accept the nomination. I'd be shocked if he chose to.

[CatoMinor]

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http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/09/17/dc-mayor-fenty-wins-gop-nomination-as-write-in/

[RIP Robert H Bork]

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http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/09/17/dc-mayor-fenty-wins-gop-nomination-as-write-in/

No surprise. I wonder who the GOP will field in his place.

That said, it would be amusing to see Gray (D) versus Fenty (R) in a general election. I wonder how that would work out.

[Eraserhead]

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http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/09/17/dc-mayor-fenty-wins-gop-nomination-as-write-in/

No surprise. I wonder who the GOP will field in his place.

That said, it would be amusing to see Gray (D) versus Fenty (R) in a general election. I wonder how that would work out.

Gray would crush him. Fenty made the right call.

[Verily]

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http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/09/17/dc-mayor-fenty-wins-gop-nomination-as-write-in/

No surprise. I wonder who the GOP will field in his place.

That said, it would be amusing to see Gray (D) versus Fenty (R) in a general election. I wonder how that would work out.

Gray would crush him. Fenty made the right call.

It would be hilarious to see a Republican candidate get 35-40% of the vote in DC, though.

[Eraserhead]

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http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/09/17/dc-mayor-fenty-wins-gop-nomination-as-write-in/

No surprise. I wonder who the GOP will field in his place.

That said, it would be amusing to see Gray (D) versus Fenty (R) in a general election. I wonder how that would work out.

Gray would crush him. Fenty made the right call.

It would be hilarious to see a Republican candidate get 35-40% of the vote in DC, though.

True.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Carol Schwartz got 34% in 2002.

[Dan the Roman]

Carol Schwartz got 34% in 2002.

And 42% in 1994

[feeblepizza]

Carol Schwartz got 34% in 2002.

And 42% in 1994

Republicans run in Washington, DC???

[bgwah]

...And the Republican who could crack 40% in Washington, DC of all places lost her bid for re-election to the city council in a primary challenge from the right in the 2008. That region sure has some wacky Republicans... must be something in the water?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This is actually a good argument for a California/Washington style system for mayoral elections in cities where the Democratic primary is all that matters. It sucks for statewide elections but it is more representative and democratic in one-party municipalities. Minneapolis basically used such a system before switching to IRV. Fenty probably would've won a basically non-partisan open to all voters runoff.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Carol Schwartz got 34% in 2002.

And 42% in 1994

Republicans run in Washington, DC???

The system in DC is designed to elect a couple Republicans to the city council, because there are four at-large seats, and the system elects two at-large seats at a time, the top two finishers in the general election. However, each party is only allowed to nominate one candidate. Schwartz was a very libertarian Republican, and very pro-gay rights. She got knocked off by some generic Republican, and the Democrats finally figured out how to game the system -- get a prominent Democrat to run as an Independent. The other Republican, David Catania, is openly gay, and switched to Independent during the 2004 election, because he was invited, then uninvited to the Republican convention, and also there was the whole Rove gaybashing-to-drive-evangelical-turnout strategy. So now a system designed to elect two Republicans elects zero.

[Lief 🗽]

This is actually a good argument for a California/Washington style system for mayoral elections in cities where the Democratic primary is all that matters. It sucks for statewide elections but it is more representative and democratic in one-party municipalities. Minneapolis basically used such a system before switching to IRV. Fenty probably would've won a basically non-partisan open to all voters runoff.

Would be better to just make elections non-partisan with a top-two run-off.

[Meeker]

This is actually a good argument for a California/Washington style system for mayoral elections in cities where the Democratic primary is all that matters. It sucks for statewide elections but it is more representative and democratic in one-party municipalities. Minneapolis basically used such a system before switching to IRV. Fenty probably would've won a basically non-partisan open to all voters runoff.

Would be better to just make elections non-partisan with a top-two run-off.

Then we'd have a more difficult time figuring out who the Republicans are. Better to keep party names on the ballot.

[Хahar 🤔]

Carol Schwartz got 34% in 2002.

And 42% in 1994

Republicans run in Washington, DC???

The system in DC is designed to elect a couple Republicans to the city council, because there are four at-large seats, and the system elects two at-large seats at a time, the top two finishers in the general election. However, each party is only allowed to nominate one candidate. Schwartz was a very libertarian Republican, and very pro-gay rights. She got knocked off by some generic Republican, and the Democrats finally figured out how to game the system -- get a prominent Democrat to run as an Independent. The other Republican, David Catania, is openly gay, and switched to Independent during the 2004 election, because he was invited, then uninvited to the Republican convention, and also there was the whole Rove gaybashing-to-drive-evangelical-turnout strategy. So now a system designed to elect two Republicans elects zero.

This system is pretty blatantly undemocratic.

[bgwah]

This is actually a good argument for a California/Washington style system for mayoral elections in cities where the Democratic primary is all that matters. It sucks for statewide elections but it is more representative and democratic in one-party municipalities. Minneapolis basically used such a system before switching to IRV. Fenty probably would've won a basically non-partisan open to all voters runoff.

That's the way municipal elections in Washington have been for a while, even before the state switched. Though the state still lists party.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Things like that are quite common in American local government though. There are similar arrangements in some suburban counties in Pennsylvania.

[Meeker]

I was on the D.C. Board of Elections website today (there's a special election going on that the Republican may actually win; more on that if it happens). I noticed something interesting: there was an Adrian Fenty write-in effort for the general election mounted by some local activists that ended up getting about 22% of the vote. Write-ins even won several precincts in Ward 3.

[Nutmeg]

I was on the D.C. Board of Elections website today (there's a special election going on that the Republican may actually win; more on that if it happens). I noticed something interesting: there was an Adrian Fenty write-in effort for the general election mounted by some local activists that ended up getting about 22% of the vote. Write-ins even won several precincts in Ward 3.

The activist who organized the effort, Josh Lopez, is one of the 9 candidates in today's election.

[Meeker]

For those curious, the Republican did not win. He was endorsed by the Washington Post and the Democratic field was fractured by six candidates, but he still came up short 22% to 20%.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

LOL.

This is actually a good argument for a California/Washington style system for mayoral elections in cities where the Democratic primary is all that matters. It sucks for statewide elections but it is more representative and democratic in one-party municipalities. Minneapolis basically used such a system before switching to IRV. Fenty probably would've won a basically non-partisan open to all voters runoff.

Would be better to just make elections non-partisan with a top-two run-off.

Then we'd have a more difficult time figuring out who the Republicans are. Better to keep party names on the ballot.

We kind of do both. Municipal elections in Minneapolis are non-partisan in the sense there is no party primary and anyone can file and run, but you can list either your party or ideology on the ballot. So you often have multiple Democrats running and often other assorted folks, not many Republicans usually. One guy in 2009 listed himself as a "Ron Paul Conservative", LOL. For the record the council is still 12-1 listed as Democrats, and that one is a Green (and he's basically a GINO, he ran in the ward that had the U of M back when the Greens were relevant and had a following and won basically on support of U of M students saying "Oh he's a Green cool!" He's well to the right of some Democrats on the council.)

[Nutmeg]

I was on the D.C. Board of Elections website today (there's a special election going on that the Republican may actually win; more on that if it happens). I noticed something interesting: there was an Adrian Fenty write-in effort for the general election mounted by some local activists that ended up getting about 22% of the vote. Write-ins even won several precincts in Ward 3.

The activist who organized the effort, Josh Lopez, is one of the 9 candidates in today's election.

But he came in 5th place.

[Lief 🗽]

For those curious, the Republican did not win. He was endorsed by the Washington Post and the Democratic field was fractured by six candidates, but he still came up short 22% to 20%.

I would have probably voted for him if I were registered in DC, if only to keep that awful student-hating Orange out. Probably missed one of the few chances I'd get to vote for a Republican.