The powers behind the “Draft Bryan Weaver” campaign to get the former Ward 1 Council candidate to run in this April’s citywide at-large race won a victory this morning. Weaver, a former chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1C in Adams Morgan, announced on TBD’s NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt that he’d enter the race.

Former DCist contributor Dave Stroup, who organized the draft effort, put up a triumphant post moments after Weaver announced:

I am happy to announce that as of today we will be dissolving the Committee to Draft Bryan Weaver for D.C. Council. Moments ago, on TBD News Talk with Bruce DePuyt, Bryan Weaver announced his candidacy for at-large member of the D.C. Council.

In just a few short weeks, this effort was able to spread the word and build energy for a possible campaign. We were able to raise over $1,000 in less than one week. I want to thank everyone who contributed to this effort. This effort has shown people are willing to stand up for what they believe in. This effort has shown we haven’t forgotten what it’s like to fight for our dreams.

It will be a long, hard road to April 26. The real work will begin now. It won’t be easy, and we’ll still hear plenty of people say it can’t be done. But we’ll keep going. No matter what, we’ve already changed things. We’ve started something. Now it’s time for what comes next.

That $1,000 wouldn’t have gone that far in a citywide election, but apparently it was enough to convince Weaver he had decent support—which may be all anyone needs to win the at-large race, where turnout is typically pretty low. (Republican Patrick Mara also announced his candidacy today, and newly appointed incumbent Sekou Biddle is also running, among others.) Still, getting into the race as the favorite candidate of bloggers and online activists could cut both ways; opponents may be tempted to paint that support as a bunch of gentrifying newcomers, even if that’s an obvious oversimplification.

A former staffer to the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, Weaver never really threatened to beat incumbent Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, who had far more money on his side in last September’s Democratic primary. But if you’re wondering why his name sounds so familiar, especially if you don’t live in Ward 1, it’s probably because he put together the best video of the year in District politics (besides, of course, Washington City Paper‘s own parodies):