Video: The Washington Post’s Michael Debonis delves in to a Washingotn Post poll surveying District of Columbia residents’ opinion of Mayor Vincent Gray.
A majority of District residents say Mayor Vincent C. Gray should resign, according to a new Washington Post poll that reveals how deeply the continuing campaign corruption scandal has eroded the city’s support for its mayor.
Gray’s support is dwindling even among his political base, with 48 percent of African Americans saying he should resign. Among those who say they voted for him in 2010, nearly four in 10 think that he should step down.
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Fifty-four percent overall say Gray should resign, while 37 percent say he should not and 9 percent have no opinion.
Gray has said the federal investigation into his campaign has not affected how his administration is running the District, but only three in 10 approve of the job he is doing as mayor. Forty-four percent say the city would be better off if he left office.
The mayor’s political supporters and other city leaders have rallied behind him, saying calls for his resignation are premature because he has not been accused of wrongdoing. But only 22 percent of residents surveyed say they view Gray as honest and trustworthy.
The public sentiment that Gray should resign crosses virtually all demographics in the city, according to the poll. Across categories of sex, ideology, party identification, income, age and geography, more say Gray should resign than not. African Americans and those 65 and older are closely divided on whether Gray should step down.
The numbers suggest that Gray cannot rely on a deep well of support from any particular group as he fends off questions about the investigation and his continued tenure as mayor. East of the Anacostia River, an area where 82 percent of voters preferred Gray in the 2010 Democratic primary, a plurality of residents now think he should step down, 48 percent to 43 percent.
So far, three campaign associates have pleaded guilty to felonies, including charges relating to secret payments to an opponent and a clandestine “shadow campaign” to get Gray elected.
Dorothy Kelly, 73, said Gray must resign because she thinks he had knowledge of the illegal activity in his campaign. “If you’re working around people, you know what’s going on. I think he knew what was going on and ignored it,” said Kelly, a retired secretary who lives in the Bellevue neighborhood of Ward 8.
The survey also shows a continuing drop in Gray’s popularity since The Post’s last D.C. poll. Only 33 percent of the city’s voters have a favorable opinion of Gray, down from 47 percent in May 2011 and a pre-election high of 60 percent.
The new data show Gray’s favorability has dropped most precipitously among women — particularly white women. Thirty-seven percent said in May 2011 that Gray was honest and trustworthy compared with 6 percent today. Among black women, his job approval has plummeted 18 points, to 32 percent, in the same period.
Opinion driven by evidence
Talk of Gray’s political fate accelerated last week after a public relations consultant with ties to the mayor, Jeanne Clarke Harris, admitted in federal court to helping to orchestrate a “shadow campaign.” The effort was funded by $653,800 from a prominent city contractor, she said.
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