Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty (left) lost his bid for the Democratic Party nomination Tuesday evening, rejected by primary voters after only one term in office.
D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray (right) prevailed over the incumbent mayor, receiving approximately 53 percent of the vote to Mr. Fenty’s 47 percent, with 90 percent of the precincts reporting.
Education reform, perhaps the most contentious issue in the election, has had liberals and teachers unions upset with the mayor since he enacted the changes in 2007.
The changes, imposed by School Chancellor Michelle Rhee, included closing schools, firing teachers and principals, and restructuring teacher tenure, now based more on criteria such as student test scores, rather than overall years teaching.
With the District of Columbia decisively Democratic (President Obama received 93 percent of the vote in 2008), Mr. Gray is heavily favored to win this November.
Mr. Fenty does have one shot, however, at winning another term: with no one having declared their candidacy yet for the Republican Party, the mayor can switch his affiliation to the G.O.P. and challenge Mr. Gray.
Latest Update: Mr. Fenty conceded the election Wednesday morning, stating that he will not seek the Republican nomination or a write in campaign, and pledged to work with Mr. Gray to ease the transition between mayors. "I feel I've had my turn," the mayor said.
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