understood that if people in Ward 8 had a choice between him and most anyone else, he would win hands down.” Ward 8 is the poorest of the eight wards in the District and has some of highest rates of crime and drug use. Barry moved into Ward 8 less than two weeks before declaring his candidacy. A court challenge failed to get Barry’s name off the ballot as acquisitions of carpetbagger were implied but never officially discussed. As was the case before, the Democratic Primary was be a tougher campaign than the general election against a Republican. Although other candidates including Mayor Kelly endorsed his opponent Barry won a seat on the city council. After being reelected to a city council seat in 1992, Barry was an all but certain candidate in the 1994 Mayoral election. Barry won election by running in Ward 8, the poorest and most crime-ridden area of the city; it was also the area where he had the most sympathy from his arrest and support. Barry’s opponents in the primary were the current mayor, Democrat Sharon Pratt Kelly and city councilmen John Ray. Kelly had inherited a flawed, corrupt, unproductive government after she was elected following Barry’s arrest. There was little she could do to turn the city around. Her personality was not as genuinely likeable as Barry. Perhaps an even greater disadvantage, Kelly had a much lighter complexion than Barry, although she was African American, many did not view her as “black.” Kelly has also fumbled in areas Barry had success. Barry had been able to chit chat and rub noses with the big business boys of the region. Barras writes, “Kelly botched efforts to keep the Washington Redskins in the city, and without a group of influential business leaders on her side, she would have fouled out on Abe Pollin’s offer to build a sports arena for his Washington Wizards basketball team and his Capitals hockey team.” Barras goes o...
