CounciI: Orange Has Narrow Lead; Biddle Strong in Local Precincts
From Matty Rhoades. Email him at matty[AT]borderstan.com.
The one contested race for residents of Dupont-Logan-U Street in yesterday’s primary election was the Democratic nomination for an At-Large Council seat. After all 143 of DC’s precincts reported in last night, incumbent Vincent Orange holds a 543 vote lead over Sekou Biddle, according to the DC Board of Elections and Ethics (DCBOEE) — but absentee and provisional ballots have to be counted on April 13. It was a rematch of last year’s special election to fill the seat. Citywide, Biddle leads in Wards 1, 2, 3 4 and 6, but Orange holds the lead due to high support in Wards 5, 7 and 8. Locally, however, Biddle won big in most precincts in the Borderstan area.
The Dem nomination for an At-Large Council seat is still undecided as of Wednesday morning. (Luis Gomez Photos)
In the Ward 2 race, incumbent Democrat Jack Evans had no opponent for the Democratic nomination; there were no candidates running in the GOP Primary to face Evans in the November 6 general election. Evans got 80% of the vote yesterday, while 12% did not vote in the race (counted as Under Votes) and 7% were Write In votes.
Turnout was very light, with about 15% of city voters going to the polls Tuesday.
Biddle vs. Orange
As of this morning, the DC count for the At-Large Dem nomination is:
- Vincent Orange: 21,237 votes, 39.77%
- Sekou Biddle: 20,694, 38.75%
- Peter Shapiro: 5616, 10.51%
- E. Gail Anderson Holness: 3,873 votes, 7.25%
- Under Votes (blank ballot): 1,614 votes, 3.02%
- Write In: 335 votes, 0.62%
1,700 Absentee, Provisional Ballots Outstanding
According to The Washington Post, there are about 1,700 absentee and provisional ballots to be counted before a winner in the race can be determined; those votes will be counted April 13. However, with such few outstanding ballots to be counted, Biddle would have to win a big chunk of them to overtake Orange. The question is, what part of the city are the absentee and provisional ballots concentrated? Are they spread evenly across DC precincts, or are they concentrated in Orange or Biddle strongholds. But with only 1,700 votes to be counted, Biddle would have to win a huge percentage of them to overtake Orange.
Biddle Wins Most Local Precincts
Who did voters in the Dupont-Logan-U Street and surrounding areas support compared to the rest of the city? In 14 local precincts in Wards 1, 2 and 6, Biddle leads in 12 of them. (Two Logan-Shaw precincts, 18 and 21, were formerly in Ward 2 before being moved to Ward 6 following redistricting after the 2010 Census). The results for the 14 selected precincts are in the table below; Biddle leads in 12 and Orange in the 2 Shaw precincts. DCBOEE has maps of precincts.
Democratic Nomination for At-Large DC Council Seat
| Precinct / Ward | Sekou Biddle | E. Gail Holness Anderson | Vincent Orange | Peter Shapiro | Write In | Under Vote | |||
| 4 / W2 | 59% | 2% | 9% | 28% | 1% | 1% | |||
| 13 / W 2 | 66% | 3% | 8% | 21% | <1% | 1% | |||
| 14 / W2 | 64% | 4% | 7% | 24% | <1% | 1% | |||
| 15 / W2 | 68% | 4% | 8% | 18% | 0% | 2% | |||
| 16 / W2 | 66% | 3% | 15% | 15% | 0% | 2% | |||
| 17 / W2 | 555 | 6% | 19% | 16% | <1% | 3% | |||
| 18 / W6 | 32% | 9% | 46% | 11% | <1% | 1% | |||
| 21 / W6 | 31% | 8% | 41% | 14% | 2% | 3% | |||
| 22 / W1 | 60% | 5% | 22% | 11% | 1% | <1% | |||
| 23 / W1 | 48% | 7% | 31% | 12% | 0% | 2% | |||
| 24 / W1 | 61% | 3% | 20% | 14% | 1% | 0% | |||
| 25 / W1 | 75% | 3% | 6% | 15% | 0% | 1% | |||
| 137 / W1 | 52% | 5% | 31% | 10% | 1% | 2% | |||
| 141 / W2 | 68% | 3% | 11% | 14% | 1% | 2% | |||
- 4 – West End Public Library, 1101 24th Street NW (Ward 2)
- 13 -Our Lady of the Americas, 2200 California Street NW (Ward 2)
- 14 – St. Thomas Episcopal Church Parish, 1772 Church Street NW (Ward 2)
- 15 – Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th Street NW (Ward 2)
- 16 – Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church, 1701 15th Street NW (Ward 2)
- 17 – Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M Street NW (Ward 2)
- 18 – Kennedy Recreation Center 1407 7th Street NW (Ward 6)
- 21 – Shaw Library, 1630 7th Street NW (Ward 6)
- 22 – Garnet-Patterson Jr. High School, 2001 10th Street NW (Ward 1)
- 23 – LOUGHRAN COMMUNITY CENTER, 2500 14th Street NW (Ward 1)
- 24 – Marie Reed Learning Center, 2200 Champlain Street NW (Ward 1)
- 25 – Goodwill Baptist Church, 1862 Kalorama Road NW (Ward 1)
- 137 – Garrison Elementary School, 1200 S Street NW (Ward 1)
- 141 – Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center, 2000 14th Street NW (Ward 2)
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