District Republicans appear to have settled on their nominee in next year’s race for an at-large seat on the D.C. Council after accountant Tim Day withdrew from the race Monday and endorsed Mary Brooks Beatty.
Beatty, a former Ward 6 advisory neighborhood commissioner, is now the only announced GOP candidate in the race.
She will run in the Nov. 2 General Election, hoping to unseat incumbent Michael Brown (I) for the seat reserved under the city charter for a candidate from a non-majority party. David P. Grosso, a former Democrat who recently switched parties to become an independent, is also a candidate.
Beatty, a Texas native who moved to the District in 1999, announced her candidacy in mid-November. About the same time, Day threw his name into the mix, setting up the first contested GOP primary since 2008.
Day, an accountant, unsuccessfully challenged council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) in 2010. During that campaign, Day first raised questions about whether Thomas was misusing his nonprofit, Team Thomas, for his personal benefit.
In a statement from GOP leaders, Day announced Monday that he is dropping out of the at-large race to focus on Ward 5. If Thomas has to step down because of the ongoing federal investigation into Team Thomas, Day could be well positioned to seek the seat either as a Republican or Independent. But Day, who finished third in his 2010 bid, would face a steep challenge in overwhelmingly Democratic Northeast.
Beatty also faces a tough race in the at-large contest. No Republican has been elected citywide since 2004, when former council member Carol Schwartz was reelected. And with President Obama leading the Democratic ticket this year, Brown remains favored to win reelection.
"Harry Thomas, Michael Brown and many of our city leaders have done very little for District residents except embarrass us," Day said in a statement. "I completely support Mary and her efforts to give voters a clear choice for this November. The quicker we can vote out self serving incumbents like Harry Thomas and Michael Brown, the better our city will be."
Day, who challenged Thomas in his Ward 5 seat reelection bid last fall, is credited with being the first to charge that Team Thomas, a nonprofit run by the councilman to help D.C. youth, was a “slush fund” that was not registered with the IRS. The D.C. Attorney General later found money had been used from the nonprofit to fund personel expenses for Thomas and referred the case to the feds. The councilman reached a $300,000 settlement with the city but did not admit wrongdoing.
Brooks Beatty is a former Ward 6 ANC Commissioner from the H Street neighborhood. During her time on the ANC, she was credited for bringing re-development projects to the up-and-coming corridor.
Beatty, a former Ward 6 advisory neighborhood commissioner, is now the only announced GOP candidate in the race.
She will run in the Nov. 2 General Election, hoping to unseat incumbent Michael Brown (I) for the seat reserved under the city charter for a candidate from a non-majority party. David P. Grosso, a former Democrat who recently switched parties to become an independent, is also a candidate.
Beatty, a Texas native who moved to the District in 1999, announced her candidacy in mid-November. About the same time, Day threw his name into the mix, setting up the first contested GOP primary since 2008.
Day, an accountant, unsuccessfully challenged council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) in 2010. During that campaign, Day first raised questions about whether Thomas was misusing his nonprofit, Team Thomas, for his personal benefit.
In a statement from GOP leaders, Day announced Monday that he is dropping out of the at-large race to focus on Ward 5. If Thomas has to step down because of the ongoing federal investigation into Team Thomas, Day could be well positioned to seek the seat either as a Republican or Independent. But Day, who finished third in his 2010 bid, would face a steep challenge in overwhelmingly Democratic Northeast.
Beatty also faces a tough race in the at-large contest. No Republican has been elected citywide since 2004, when former council member Carol Schwartz was reelected. And with President Obama leading the Democratic ticket this year, Brown remains favored to win reelection.
"Harry Thomas, Michael Brown and many of our city leaders have done very little for District residents except embarrass us," Day said in a statement. "I completely support Mary and her efforts to give voters a clear choice for this November. The quicker we can vote out self serving incumbents like Harry Thomas and Michael Brown, the better our city will be."
Day, who challenged Thomas in his Ward 5 seat reelection bid last fall, is credited with being the first to charge that Team Thomas, a nonprofit run by the councilman to help D.C. youth, was a “slush fund” that was not registered with the IRS. The D.C. Attorney General later found money had been used from the nonprofit to fund personel expenses for Thomas and referred the case to the feds. The councilman reached a $300,000 settlement with the city but did not admit wrongdoing.
Brooks Beatty is a former Ward 6 ANC Commissioner from the H Street neighborhood. During her time on the ANC, she was credited for bringing re-development projects to the up-and-coming corridor.
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