Photo by Burnt Pixel

Photo by Burnt Pixel

Live updates by Matt Cohen, Sarah Anne Hughes and Jonathan Neeley

In a few hours, we’ll know who the Democratic nominee for mayor will be. Until then, stick with us for live updates from candidate parties. See our coverage from today here.

Midnight: Mayor Vincent Gray entered the ballroom just before midnight. “I’d like to thank the Board of Elections for keeping suspense in this,” Gray said before congratulating Bowser. The mayor conceded the election.

He thanked Councilmember Marion Barry, who endorsed him, and his Councilmember, Yvette Alexander. Gray also listed the many endorsements he received.

“I want to thank everybody who’s supported us,” Gray said. “I think the work we have done over the last three, four years has been nothing short of phenomenal.”

“We have nine more months.”

Gray also said he hopes the Council will change the primary date from April to June or July. “It’s hard to be motivated,” he said of the cold, winter months.

11:58 p.m.: “What I mean when I say it’s only the beginning,” Wells says, “is that we’re going to stay progressive. We’re going to minimize corporate involvement, build integrity, continue public transit programs, stay green.”

Where does Wells fit into that “we”?

“I don’t know yet,” he says of himself, instead pointing to the success of Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau as examples of how his policies are no longer “1 to 12” matters (as in measures that received only his vote of support on the Council.)

“I’m buoyed by all these young people who care. They’re leaders. I’m not unusual, I just happen to be in front of the progressive Democratic movement in D.C. They’re next.”

Wells thanked his staff and said a final goodnight to his supporters.

“I’m going to call Ms. Bowser and congratulate her. It’s been a good night for her.”

11:51 p.m. And here are the latest results. With nearly 73,000 votes counted, Bowser leads with 44 percent to Gray’s 32 percent. Precincts counted: 127 out of 143.

11:48 p.m.: Gray campaign manager Chuck Thies addressed supporters and members of the media in the ballroom, asking for patience. “We’re waiting for accurate numbers.” The mayor, he said, is eating dinner. —Sarah Anne Hughes

11:41 p.m.While not quite a victory speech, Bowser thanked her supporters in a cheerful speech and asked them to stick around until the results were in. Her campaign, meanwhile, handed out an advisory touting her as the Democratic nominee for mayor. —Matt Cohen

Folks aren’t pleased about it at Wells’ party. “I don’t want her to be my mayor,” said one Wells supporter. She and two friends continued, calling Bowser inexperienced and saying that they’d prefer Gray if Wells can’t get the nomination. “I’d like to see a woman mayor, but not her. Maybe turnout has something to do with it.” —Jonathan Neeley

11:20 p.m.: When given new numbers that show Bowser with a significant lead, a Gray supporter seems dismayed, saying the mayor has done a great job. “This shouldn’t even be a race.” —Sarah Anne Hughes

11:10 p.m.:Fenty fanboy Ron Moten, sporting quite a shirt, says he never doubted Muriel Bowser’s supporters. He said he worked the Benning Road precinct today and said there was a strong showing of Bowser supporters.

Oh and in case you’re wondering — he has songs in the works for Bowser and Jim Graham. —Matt Cohen

11:01 p.m.: Still waiting for Gray in a ballroom that is full near the back but pretty empty near the front. —Sarah Anne Hughes

10:56 p.m.: Despite how things are looking, Wells just addressed the crowd with what wasn’t quite a concession speech. It was more of an “it’s OK to go home if you’ve got your kids here or have to work tomorrow” kind of thing. Starting with appreciation for his endorsers and praise for volunteers, Wells covered his ties to firefighters, had a laugh about receiving praise from both the police and NORML, and railed against corruption and corporate contributions. “The people should vote and we should be accountable,” he said. “We can have a government we’re proud of, one with integrity. Whatever happens tonight, this is not the end. It’s the beginning for this great city.”

For now, Wells is staying put. —Jonathan Neeley

10:53 p.m. Some of the music selections at the Gray party have been … interesting. The theme to the movie Rocky played, as did “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.” What does it mean? —Sarah Anne Hughes

10:34 p.m.: More results are in from DCBOE. With 55 of 143 precincts counted, Bowser leads Gray by about 10 percent.

As woman in Gray ballroom hears latest numbers, she declares, “I’m getting nervous.”—Sarah Anne Hughes

10:28 p.m.: So far things are looking good for Muriel Bowser. Of course, it’s way too early to tell, but if the numbers stay strong, we could be looking at a new Democratic mayoral candidate.

At her watch party, Bowser’s yet to come out and greet people. I’ve talked to some attendees who’ve been here since it started at 8 p.m. and they’ve been patiently waiting for her to come out and greet them. —Matt Cohen

10:26 p.m. Having a laptop open makes me a magnet for Gray supporters looking for results. One man looks at the nearly 10,000 votes counted and see that Bowser is in the lead. “Oh,” he says. “That’s not good.”—Sarah Anne Hughes

10:16 p.m.: “It wasn’t what I expected when I came up the steps,” Wells said of the raucous crowd that greeted him upon arrival to Top of the Hill. “These people have been out campaigning all day, they ought to be exhausted.” Between downplaying reporter questions about his next move should he lose — “We’ll leave that for tomorrow”; “We’ll see”; “Faith” — he gushed about the energy of the base that turned out. “It’s an amazing feeling,” he said as he surveyed the crowd. Implicit in his awe is an acknowledgement of just how draining this has been. “I’ve been doing this for over a year. I’m looking forward to tomorrow morning. I might not even put on a suit.” —Jonathan Neeley

10:12 p.m. Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) arrives at the Gray party. While she did officially endorse Gray, she’s publicly supported him. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor Hoskins is here, as it D.C. Taxicab Commission Chairman Ron Linton and City Administrator Allen Lew. People who I do not recognize continue to trickle into the ballroom. —Sarah Anne Hughes

9:55 p.m.: Two hours after the polls closed, the D.C. Board of Elections put up the first numbers — early votes accounting for 2.6 percent of the total.—Sarah Anne Hughes

JACK EVANS: 509
ANDY SHALLAL: 370
RETA LEWIS: 40
VINCENT ORANGE: 164
MURIEL E. BOWSER: 4,505
VINCENT C. GRAY: 2,698
CARLOS ALLEN: 9
TOMMY WELLS: 1,061
Total: 9,379

9:45 p.m.: So what are these candidates serving tonight? Evans’ party has grilled cheese sandwiches and wings. Gray’s spread at the Hyatt is very fancy and features braised beef, tomato caprese and crab fritters. Shallal’s party is going down at a Busboys and Poets, and the entire menu is open to volunteers for free. Pretzels and spinach dip can be found at Wells’ party.—Sarah Anne Hughes

9:40 p.m.: “I’m very excited,” says Wells staffer Nina Ligget. “We’ve got, like, secret supporters. They’re sophisticated and highly educated. They’re not bothering with polls or smearing people.” Ligget has been a mentee of Wells’ for a few years and felt that she owed it to him to join the campaign. “He helped me so I’m helping him,” she said, noting that most of the staff is the same as her in terms of their connection to Wells — friends, she described them. “I’m nervous as hell. I can’t feel my arms and legs.”—Jonathan Neeley

9:35 p.m.: But we want it now! —Sarah Anne Hughes

9:25 p.m.: Evans arrives! Asked whether he still feels that the low voter turnout could work in his favor, Evans says he does. “There’s no electrifying candidate in this election,” he tells DCist. “There’s no Fenty or Tony Williams, someone that people will either flock to the polls to vote for or against,” Evans says.

Since I last caught up with Evans, he spent most of his time east of the Anacostia River where he said the turnout was “very slow.” At precincts in Wards 7 and 8 that Evans visited between 5 and 6 p.m., he says there was no one there. Why? Evans thinks it’s because of the primary date change and the weather (not today of course, but this month, generally). Evans says he’s working on an omnibus bill to change D.C. voting habits. The bill would open the primary, establish a debate council, revise fundraising laws between the primary and general election, and move the primary date to June.

—Matt Cohen

9:08 p.m.: Alec Allen is almost 40-years-old, and Wells is the first person he’s ever volunteered for. A bartender at Baby Wale in Shaw, Allen says Wells “really got to me. I believe in Tommy.” Noting that members of Wells’ staff have helped him get in touch with the right folks in Ward 5 for issues he’s experienced, Allen says working on the campaign — which he vividly remembers kicking off 11 months ago where H Street NE turns into Benning Road — has made him feel more connected to the city as a whole. “They’re accessible, they’re transparent, they answer questions.” He says that either way, the campaign’s end is bittersweet. “It’s something I’ll keep doing.” — Jonathan Neeley

8:50 p.m.: Inside the Busboys and Poets at K and 5th streets NW, about 50 people are happily chatting away as Andy Shallal revolves around the room, dispensing hugs. (Disclosure: I got a hug.)

Lots of people are congratulating one another, presumably, for making it through the primary season.

Dwight Kirk, communications manager for Shallal’s campaign, entered the room to applause. “My work is done,” he tells DCist ask supporters applaud as Shallal comes on NewsChannel8. The room goes silent when a clip of Shallal runs.

— Sarah Anne Hughes

8:47 p.m.: Staff and volunteers at Tommy Wells’ campaign office seem tired, which is expected as they were out all day. But there’s nothing that tells you they’re pessimistic, like a concession speech draft sitting in plain sight on an open laptop.

The room got focused when Wells came out to thank everyone and inject a bit of cheer into the night. He thanked everyone for covering the polls better than every other candidate (he said Bowser’s people were lukewarm; Gray’s were there because they had to be; Evans had 2 million bucks and barely covered Ward 2).

“We changed people’s minds today,” he said. He admitted that winning was a long shot but said he was uplifted by and proud of his energetic “folks” and hopeful for the city. “Tonight we party. We feel good. This is just the beginning.”

— Jonathan Neeley

8:40 p.m.: Greetings from Jack Evans’ watch party at Stoney’s! No sign of Evans yet, but his supporters are here in strong numbers. I talked to two Evans supporters, Laura Blackwelder and Bailey Gaipher, who were campaigning outside of the Reeves Center this evening, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and they told me the voter turnout was, predictably, “light.” Blackwelder, who actually voted down the street at Seaton Elementary School, said there were “about three people there,” when she went to vote a little after four.

It’s not likely that Jack Evans will win, but if votes are tallied by the amount of yard signs placed in a single, small plot of land. He’d definitely win.

— Matt Cohen

8 p.m.: The polls are closed, meaning only people in line are left to vote. Track the results here, via the Post.

While we wait for the results to come in, does anyone want to play a sad game and guess voter turnout? DCist’s former leader Martin Austermuhle guessed 35 percent, but tweeted “I hope I am very wrong.” What do you think?



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