Photo by aperryproductions.

The recent scandals in City Hall have battered both Mayor Vince Gray and D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown, leaving them with high disapproval ratings but a few months into their first year in office. According to a citywide poll conducted by the Clarus Research Group, Gray’s approval rating stands at 31 percent, while his 41 percent disapprove of his performance. Brown is marginally more unpopular, with 27 percent of respondents approving of the job he’s done so far and 43 percent disapproving.

Breaking down the results further, Gray’s biggest hit comes directly in response to the high-profile scandals that have rocked his office in recent months — 23 percent of respondents approve of his ethical conduct, while 54 percent disapprove. Only 17 percent of respondents agreed that Gray made good calls in high-level hiring decisions, while 59 percent disagreed. In terms of a silver lining, Gray polled well on education reform efforts (45 percent approve, 26 percent disapprove) and keeping in touch with ordinary citizens (40 percent approve, 30 percent disapprove). Additionally, roughly three in 10 voters do not yet have an opinion on Gray’s general performance, meaning that he still has room to move up — or down.

For both Gray and Brown, the racial and geographic breakdown of the numbers prove that we’re far from the “One City” that Gray campaigned on. African American residents are more likely to view Gray and Brown positively than white residents (42-17 for Gray, 38-12 for Brown), as do residents of wards 4, 5, 7, and 8. White men really don’t like Gray (only 12 percent rate him favorably), while African American women are still partial to him (to the tune of 43 percent).

As for other findings from the poll: Police Chief Cathy Lanier remains the most liked public official in town, with 84 percent approval. D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton comes in second with 82 percent, while Acting Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson only musters 42 percent. Surprisingly, the D.C. Council seems to have dodged at least some of the public’s ire regarding recent scandals — its approval rating is 54 percent, with disapproval at 22 percent. (A Washington Post poll published in January 2010 found that 52 percent of residents approved of the Council’s performance.)

Even more relevant are the poll’s findings on the April 26 At-Large Special Election, though. Former Ward 5 councilmember Vincent Orange leads the field by a huge margin, claiming 28 percent of support while Interim Councilmember Sekou Biddle and Republican Patrick Mara grabbed six percent a piece. But maybe Biddle and Mara can take solace in the fact that 49 percent of respondents are still undecided, and it’s unclear whether Orange’s 28 percent is because people that have simply heard of him (he’s run city-wide twice, in 2006 and 2010) or will actually vote for him. Still, Orange is at a distinct advantage — he’s got $190,000 to spend in the month leading up to the election, almost three times what Biddle has.

The Clarus poll sample was 500 registered voters, and it was conducted earlier this week. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent.

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