Running Hard and Fast: A. Scott Bolden

Bolden, though recovering from a sinus infection, spoke confidently and intelligently, commenting freely on a variety of issues on which his campaign has focused. Though he seemed prone to resort to scripted talking points, Bolden described a contest that focused largely on Mendelson's shortcomings on the council, sometimes relentlessly so. Peppered throughout our talk with him were references to areas where he saw Mendelson falling short, be it on taxes, crime or education. "In the end, for eight years we have had an at large council-member that simply doesn't get it. His legislative record and his legislative failures are going to be front and center in this campaign, and they ought to be," Bolden told DCist. "We have paid him over $800,000, [and] if you include his office budget, probably well over $1 million over eight years. He just has not demonstrated the level of leadership, of valued leadership on the issues that are more important to the voters," he continued.

Beyond simply going after Mendelson, Bolden approached the central issues of the campaign methodically, speaking in measured tones and always careful not to swing too far to one side or the other. On crime, he spoke in favor of cracking down on quality-of-life crimes, but while maintaining respect for civil liberties -- "Zero tolerance coupled with the proper training without violating anyone's rights," he stated. On affordable housing, he advocated using public-private partnerships to develop abandoned properties, arguing that large developers would follow suit if the District government led the charge. A similar middle-of-the-road dynamic was evident in his take on taxes, regulation and healthcare. But on the issue of District voting rights, Bolden remained uncompromising, expressing his full support for voting rights, statehood and self-determination. When asked to comment on a bill introduced by Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) that would grant the District one voting seat in the House of Representatives while allowing Utah one more seat, Bolden seemed un-impressed, stating, "Here again, D.C. voters must negotiate a compromise for what is rightfully theirs."

Ultimately, though, the conversation tended towards Mendelson and his record. But why go after Mendelson as consistently as Bolden has?

Some political observers have said that it's because Mendelson's hold on his seat is weaker than ever, the product of a two-man race in which he cannot expect two African-American candidates to split the vote and allow him victory with less than a majority of the votes cast, as happened in past races. Others say it's because Mendelson simply hasn't fought back, making his fledgling campaign seem vulnerable. While Bolden has aggressively fundraised, collecting over $235,000 thus far and more than $40,000 in the last reporting period alone, Mendelson has only taken in $68,750 and has spent almost none of it. More importantly, though, Mendelson simply hasn't stepped up to deflect Bolden's many attacks. While Bolden's website is brimming with press releases and blog entries on any number of issues, many of which directly criticize his opponent, Mendelson's site features little more than the claim that his campaign is "Getting Into Gear." The slow start to his campaign provoked WTOP Political Reporter Mark Plotkin to state the following of Mendelson in a Post online chat yesterday:

As for the at large race, I 've said this before, Mendelson needs to be more visible and he's had a charmed political existence in that many candidates have split up the vote against him. That's going to be a close race. And Mendelson needs to get his base out.

Bolden is running his campaign as any challenger would -- he has crafted an image of himself that relies largely on what he would do differently from Mendelson, though their proposals on any given issue don't much differ in the details. This strategy has been effective thus far because of the amount of time Bolden has put into the campaign -- he has been promoting his candidacy in one form or another for the better part of 16 months -- and the fact that Mendelson has thus far not fought back. But once Mendelson kicks off his campaign, the existing dynamic might change. He's known as a detail-oriented and hardworking member of the council, and while Bolden seeks to pick apart his record to gain votes, Mendelson could well turn that around and highlight the legislative accomplishments that come with eight years in office.

But to date Mendelson has not organized a defense for himself, leaving Bolden to determine the style, shape and volume of the contest. And given that Bolden is well-known for being a tireless campaigner, Mendelson clearly has ground to make up. But once he does start making it up, it may become more of a competition that it currently is, and Bolden will have to start highlighting not only what Mendelson has done wrong, but also what he will do right.