Ex-Mayor Vince Gray has a new ally in his campaign to take back the Ward 7 D.C. Council seat. Announcing its endorsements for the upcoming Democratic primaries today, school reform group Democrats for Education Reform D.C. backed Gray over incumbent Yvette Alexander.
Elsewhere, DFER-D.C. endorsed Muriel Bowser favorites Brandon Todd and LaRuby May to retain the Wards 4 and 8 seats, respectively. Bowser helped fundraise for the group’s affiliated PAC in July.
But DFER-D.C. breaks with Bowser’s Green Team when it endorses Gray over Alexander, calling him a “longtime champion of education reform.” In a press release, the group praise Gray for launching a larger school lottery in his administration and leasing city properties to charter schools.
The education reform group has deep pockets for its candidates. The affiliated PAC reported just a little more than $5,000 in funds in March, but a related independent expenditure committee reported nearly $40,000 in its bank account, thanks in part to a hefty $15,000 donation from District education reform heavy Katherine Bradley.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery