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Let’s play the who-will-run-for-mayor game. The Washington Post kicked things off over the weekend by noting how low Mayor Vince Gray‘s political stock is at present and how three councilmembers, Muriel Bowser, Jack Evans, and Tommy Wells, are already sniffing around a potential run.
The Post also said a law-and-order type outsider may make for a good candidate. The paper named, with sourcing from unnamed speculators, Police Chief Cathy Lanier, U.S. Attorney Ron Machen, and his deputy Vincent H. Cohen Jr. (whose father was a prominent African-American attorney) as potential contenders. Lanier said on Newstalk with Bruce DePuyt today that she’s not interested, and a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is in the process of getting LL a “no comment” on Machen and Cohen’s political ambitions.
But since we’re speculating wildly about who might run, why stop at the Johnny Law types? Herewith, LL’s speculations on other potential candidates, which—who knows?—could wind up being cited in the next A1 Post story on a hypothetical mayoral campaign:
• Anthony Williams: Everybody loves Tony, right? Sure, Williams tells LL he has “absolutely no interest” in being mayor again and just wants to “serve the city” as a “regular guy.” But what better way to serve? Besides, “regular guys” don’t go out of their way to always wear bow ties that scream “I may be a wonky bean counter, but just like other politicians, I, too, have interesting personal characteristics!”
• Marion Barry: He’s got better name recognition than anyone in D.C. politics will ever have. And his awesome Twitter account would help him shore up the youth vote. Note: He might not win the Asian vote. Or the Polish vote.
• Peter Nickles: Speaking of former mayors… The de facto mayor under Adrian Fenty is probably finding private life boring compared to running a city and getting into fights on a daily basis. Sure, he lives in Virginia, but no candidate is perfect.
• Ralph Nader: He’s not running for president again, is he? If not, he’s got room on his schedule.
• Nat Gandhi: Gandhi may be fed up with Gray’s foot-dragging on reappointing him as the District’s chief financial officer. What better way to get payback?
• Tom Sherwood: The NBC4 reporter always jokes about making a run for public office. Well, Tom, you’re not getting any younger.
Have other candidates in mind? Leave’ em in the comments.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery