Photo by Kyle Gustafson.

He is well-liked by his colleagues, and he would have likely cruised to re-election as chairman of the D.C. Council, an institution that has received high marks from District residents. If he doesn’t win come next Tuesday, his short, yet mostly well-received political career will likely come to a somewhat inglorious end. But for mayoral contender Vince Gray, the risks have been worth it — he harbors no regrets at jumping in to challenge Mayor Adrian Fenty.

“I think the purpose of this has been well-served,” said an introspective Gray during an interview with DCist last week at his campaign headquarters on Sixth Street NW.

“I knew when I got into this, that I was pushing all of my chips into the middle of the table, and that I was all in. It’s not that I’m trying to be a martyr or anything, but I’ve been in the city all my life, and I knew that we weren’t really going to grow in the way we could without there being a challenge on the table.”