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Failed Republican D.C. Council candidate Patrick Mara is claiming credit for flipping the vote of Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on this morning's cloture vote for the D.C. Voting Rights Act. In a statement released to the press, the DC Republican Committee cited Mara's meeting with Murkowski's staff prior to the vote.
"Republican support and particularly Senator Lisa Murkowski's vote for cloture put us over 60 votes," Mara said. "I spoke with Senator Murkowski's top staff and told them that DC Republicans and the District's 40,000 veterans support S. 160. I told the Senator's staff that my experience in knocking on over 25,000 doors during the election was evidence that DC Republicans support S. 160. Today's vote was a combined effort from many and I am glad to see that because of DC Republicans, we were able to influence the outcome." Mara beat incumbent Carol Schwartz in a Republican primary for an At-large seat on the D.C. Council last year, but lost handily to Independent Michael A. Brown in the general election.
Mara said he also met with top staffers from Senators John McCain and Lamar Alexander's offices. Neither McCain nor Alexander voted for cloture. The Republican Senators who did vote for cloture today are: Cochran, Collins, Murkowski, Lugar, Hatch, Snowe, Specter and Voinovich.
The only photo we could find of Mara in the DCist Flickr pool is the one at right, of the then-candidate participating in a vegan cupcake eating contest in Columbia Heights.
ANALYSIS: We assume Mara's attempt to insert himself into today's voting rights victory is a signal of his intention to run for the Council again. Could he be after David Catania's seat, which is up in 2010?
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Other Staffer to Staffer: "Who was that?"
Staffer to Other Staffer: "Some asshole, where is the trash can?"
Judging from the photo, I can only assume this is the result of Mr. Mara being forced to "eat" the Alaska Senator's "cupcake." Let's hope he doesn't have to "insert himself" into anything else. At least, not without protection.
Sorry dude, its a vegan cupcake. (Columbia Heights Day 2008, cupcakes provided by Sticky Fingers.)
Known him for a long time...never been one to puff up his actions to win approval from someone. I hope he does go after "Deputy Mayor Number 3" in 2010 (the other 2 DM's are Jack Evans and Grahamzilla)...
Smart money says Mara won't run unless Catania retires -- and, really, how hard will it be for him to turn that unpaid teaching job at GW into something tenure-track? -- in which case he'll probably get Catania's endorsement.
Where's Jimmy Stewart when you need him?
Mara 2010!
Mara 2010!
Grasshopper -
What is the sound of one Republican asshat talking to another Republican asshat?
i love lisa, the senate's resident cougar. she's a republican sure but thinks independently. i doubt mara's talk swayed her a lot but it couldnt have hurt.