DC Mayor Vince Gray will formally kick off his re-election campaign Saturday, January 11 at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) in Southeast.
Gray’s speech will come many months after the campaign kickoff events held by his rivals in the 2014 mayoral race, including Council members Jack Evans, Muriel Bowser, and Tommy Wells, as well as Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal. With the Democratic primary scheduled for April 1, Gray will have about three-and-a-half months to catch up in fundraising and campaign visibility.
In picking Ward 8 to launch his re-election bid, Gray, who likes to tout the building boom largely centered in Northwest DC, will attempt to reach voters who live in parts of DC that have not enjoyed the same economic growth. THEARC offers educational and cultural programming to people who live in low-income neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.
But as Gray begins to openly campaign for another term, the good economic news might be running down. Figures released this week by the the office of DC Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi show that unemployment is on the rise.
Gray will also have to continue facing questions about his 2010 campaign, which is still under investigation by federal proseuctors amid allegations that his election was helped out by $653,000 in unreported contributions. In his first press conference since he announced his plans to seek another term, Gray evaded repeated questions about the investigation.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Mayor Gray to Launch Re-election Campaign January 11
Gray will kick off his 2014 campaign with a speech at THEARC in Southeast DC.
DC Mayor Vince Gray will formally kick off his re-election campaign Saturday, January 11 at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) in Southeast.
Gray’s speech will come many months after the campaign kickoff events held by his rivals in the 2014 mayoral race, including Council members Jack Evans, Muriel Bowser, and Tommy Wells, as well as Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal. With the Democratic primary scheduled for April 1, Gray will have about three-and-a-half months to catch up in fundraising and campaign visibility.
In picking Ward 8 to launch his re-election bid, Gray, who likes to tout the building boom largely centered in Northwest DC, will attempt to reach voters who live in parts of DC that have not enjoyed the same economic growth. THEARC offers educational and cultural programming to people who live in low-income neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.
But as Gray begins to openly campaign for another term, the good economic news might be running down. Figures released this week by the the office of DC Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi show that unemployment is on the rise.
Gray will also have to continue facing questions about his 2010 campaign, which is still under investigation by federal proseuctors amid allegations that his election was helped out by $653,000 in unreported contributions. In his first press conference since he announced his plans to seek another term, Gray evaded repeated questions about the investigation.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Jeanine Pirro Wants Taxpayers to Fund Her Bottled Water
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2025
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
The Latest on the June 14 Trump Military Parade in DC
Pardoned January 6 Rioter Arrested for Breaking and Entering in Virginia
Washingtonian Magazine
May Issue: 52 Perfect Saturdays
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
What’s the Deal With “Republican Makeup”?
DC Might Be Getting a Watergate Museum
DC-Area Universities Are Offering Trump Classes This Fall
More from News & Politics
This Virginian Holds the Record as the World’s Oldest Woman to Play Ice Hockey
Museum Shooting Suspect Confesses, Trump Thinks Autism Is “Artificially Induced,” and Area Golf Course Is in the News
The Army Says It Will Pay for Any Road Damage From DC’s Military Parade
DC Woman Arrested for Allegedly Spitting on Ed Martin
Major DC Performing Arts Org Will Skip Kennedy Center for New Season
Jeanine Pirro Wants Taxpayers to Fund Her Bottled Water
The Latest on the DC Museum Shooting, and Other News for Thursday Morning
MSNBC Host Jonathan Capehart on His Candid New Memoir