DC special election redux

In the previous post on the election, where I recommended voting for Matthew Frumin, I opined but maybe didn't stress enough that the election seemed to between Anita Bonds, a Democratic candidate, and Patrick Mara, a Republican candidate.  And that the two progressive Democratic candidates, Elissa Silverman and Matthew Frumin, likely wouldn't draw enough votes to win, even combined.

The results were that Anita Bonds won, with 32%, and Elissa Silverman was second with 28% of the vote, while Patrick Mara, endorsed by many as a check on "Democratic hegemony" (a nice turn of phrase from Examiner columnist Jonetta Rose Barras), was in third with 23% of the vote.

The person I supported, Matthew Frumin, couldn't break out of his home ward to generate more support city-wide, garnering 11.5% of the vote.

So yes, Elissa Silverman was right to ask Frumin to drop out of the race and throw his support to her ("D.C. Council candidate asks opponent to exit race as at-large election nears" from the Post), if the point was to get a more progressive and ethical Councilmember elected.

I hate being wrong, about electability and strategic voting.  While I still have my reservations about her as a Councilmember, there is no doubt she'd be better than most.

Meanwhile, the primary for the 2014 election is one year away.