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After four mayoral bids as a Republican, Carol Schwartz ditched the party this time around to run as an independent, even rejecting the party’s nomination when it was offered. But that doesn’t mean she’s forgotten the 6 percent of District voters registered as Republicans—-and she hopes they haven’t forgotten her, either.
In a letter to District Republicans last week, Schwartz touted her bona fides as one of the marginalized party’s most visible local politicians.
“As you may recall, I was the standard bearer for our Party for many decades,” Schwartz writes in the letter, later adding, “I hope you would agree that I served our city and the Party well.”
In the letter, addressed to “Dear DC Republican Leader,” Schwartz alludes to her 2008 ouster from the D.C. Council after Pat Mara beat her in the Republican primary.
“I am running a positive campaign as I always have, unlike the negative one filled with untruths, in both print and robocalls, which was run against me six years ago,” Schwartz writes.
Schwartz says the letter is in keeping with her plans to reach out to voters of all parties. Schwartz claims, for example, that her Palisades Parade contingent didn’t have any Republicans in it.
“It’s not like I’m running a Republican-directed campaign or I’m the darling of anybody,” Schwartz says.
Read Schwartz’s letter after the jump:
Dear DC Republican Leader,
As you may recall, I was the standard bearer for our Party for many decades, first as a non-partisan member of the Board of Education representing Ward 3 from 1974 to 1982, and then as an At-Large Republican member of the Council from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1997 to 2009. In addition, I ran as the Republican candidate for Mayor in 1986, 1994, 1998, and 2002, earning as much as 42% of the vote and never less than 30% in a town then where Democrats outnumbered Republicans 11 to 1. I hope you would agree that I served our city and the Party well.
Now, as of three and a half weeks ago, I am running for Mayor again and this time as an independent. I do hope that you will remember the depth and breadth of my experience, record, and results as well as the integrity and respect that I brought to the office. I am running now to be our Mayor because I believe I have the skills, the temperament, and the ability to get along with people as well as the aforementioned qualifications—-al of which our city desperately needs, especially now after all the corruption and division that has taken place since my leaving office.
I am running for Mayor, not against anyone, in spite of what you may have heard. I am running a positive campaign as I always have, unlike the negative one filled with untruths, in both print and robocalls, which was run against me six years ago. I hope that you remember the truth of the quality and courage of my service over those many years and will agree that I did the Party and our city proud.
Please take the time to read my announcement statement of June 9th, which lays out the reasons why I wanted to return to run for Mayor, a summary of my many accomplishments in public life, and the multitude of community service activities I have engaged in as a volunteer over the years, which have also added to the betterment of our community. I hope you will give me the opportunity to serve you again, and this time, as your Mayor.
Thankfully,
Carol
Photo by Darrow Montgomery