Today’s mayoral debate between Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. Council Chair Vince Gray wasn’t much of anything new. Fenty highlighted the results his administration has produced, but admitted that the speed and intensity with which they had occurred had left many residents feeling left out. Gray promised to be a better, more inclusive chief executive.

But the big newsmaker of the day may have been First Lady Michelle Fenty — who during the post-debate media scrum not only spoke on her husband’s behalf, but nearly broke into tears when describing the misconceptions surrounding him. “Everything he has done has been for the community,” she said, her voice shaking. “There are so many misconceptions about him, about us, about our family, I think it’s important for me to speak up.” When asked why she was speaking up so late in the campaign, she responded, “The [Washington Post] poll solidified what our worst fears are…the poll was so striking to me.” (The City Paper caught the snippet above.)