Mara, in a 2011 campaign photo.

The Washington Post’s editorial board has jumped into the electoral fray early, issuing an endorsement for Patrick Mara just over a month before the April 23 special election for an At-Large seat on the D.C. Council. This is what the Post had to say about Mara, a moderate Republican who currently represents Ward 1 on D.C. State Board of Education:

Indicative of Mr. Mara’s strength is the fact that the only thing his opponents seem able to attack is his affiliation as a Republican. “The consequences could be disastrous for the residents of the District,” reads a recent campaign e-mail from Anita Bonds (D), the incumbent by virtue of her interim appointment, about Mr. Mara’s possible victory. The socially progressive Mr. Mara — he’s broken with his party on issues such as gay marriage and D.C. statehood — would bring some welcome independence to a council dominated by think-alike Democrats. Mr. Mara has a proven willingness to engage GOP legislators on Capitol Hill to advance D.C. interests — and to stand up to them when necessary. It’s worth recalling that the District has had pretty good results when it’s elected similarly independent-minded Republicans in the past, notably former member Carol Schwartz and current at-large member David Catania, who has since switched to being an independent.

Mara was endorsed by the Post in the lead-up to the 2011 At-Large special election, when he fell 1,700 votes short of winner Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At Large). He was also endorsed in his 2008 primary challenge of the last Republican to sit on the council, Carol Schwartz, and in the general election contest against Michael Brown that he later lost.

The Post also had nice things to say about Paul Zukerberg, the defense attorney who has made the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana his signature issue. (He also feuded with the D.C. Board of Elections over its maintenance of the city’s voter rolls.) The Post called Zukerberg a “authentic new voice with a smart grasp of the issues.” On fellow challengers Matthew Frumin and Elissa Silverman, it said they were both “committed to improved ethics and have advanced well-meaning approaches” while adding that they fell short on education and financial issues.

As for Interim Councilmember Anita Bonds and former Councilmember Michael Brown, it merely opined that a victory for either of the two “would take the council in a backward direction.”