While Bryan Weaver remains the undisputed champion of the longform YouTube local campaign advertisement — what with the Cool Disco Dan references, “Dirty Old Town” and all — the above effort from the Joshua Lopez campaign, if somewhat forced, at least proves that Weaver’s not the only candidate unafraid to crack a couple “Fully Loaded” jokes at Council Chair Kwame Brown’s expense.

With less than a month left to go until the April 26 At-Large Special Election, the nine candidates vying for the seat vacated by D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown are struggling to win over what are likely to be a small number of voters that will decide the contest.

This much is finally clear — nine candidates will appear on the ballot for the April 26 At-Large Special Election. Yesterday, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics announced that Jacque Patterson would be denied a spot on the ballot, while ruling that Republican Patrick Mara had gotten just enough signatures to remain on. Bryan Weaver, who had originally fallen 52 signatures below the 3,000-signature threshold to get on the ballot, was able to collect enough forms attesting to the validity of the people who signed his nominating petitions to stay on.

Interim D.C. Councilmember Sekou Biddle (D-At Large) filed a series of challenges to nominating petitions submitted by Bryan Weaver, Patrick Mara and Jacque Patterson late yesterday afternoon, setting in motion a process that may well find some or all of the trio kicked off the April 26 Special Election ballot.

At a forum hosted by The Georgetown Dish and Georgetown Current yesterday evening, five candidates for the April 26 At-Large Special Election debated each other, touching upon a number of issues including the District’s looming 2012 budget deficit and D.C. Council salaries. (Check out our Twitter timeline of the whole debate here.)

On the evening in early January that the D.C. Democratic State Committee gathered in a crowded conference room to select an At-Large councilmember to hold the seat until the April 26 Special Election, Ward 4 resident Josh Lopez arrived as the contested balloting was wrapping up. It didn’t really matter, though — Lopez wasn’t seeking the appointment.

Having the support of the city’s political establishment pays off — literally.

Good morning, Washington. Here’s to starting your (hopefully) long weekend. Today will be warmer than the past week – a balmy 40, so go outside and bask in the sun while you can because it looks like we might be getting some snow Monday.