On a national level, Fenty had been grouped with rising Democratic stars Corey Booker of Newark and Kevin Johnson of Sacramento in representing a new generation of energetic black mayors.

In his first term, Fenty invested much of his effort and political capital in an overhaul of the badly-performing District of Columbia Public Schools. In one of his first acts in office, he restructured the schools' administration, rerouting the State Board of Education's decision-making through a chancellor that reports to him (despite having opposed that power for predecessor Anthony Williams).

For that new role Fenty selected reform advocate Michelle A. Rhee, a District outsider. He supported her effort to shift from a tenure-focused to a merit-focused system for the hiring and retention of teachers and to close underperforming or underenrolled schools -- moves lauded by national reform groups, but bashed by teachers' unions for shutting them out.

The mayor endured a number of other controversies in his first term, including a battle with the D.C. Council regarding parks contracts that went to firms associated with Fenty's friends. While he promised transparency, he has been criticized for being secretive, particularly regarding several trips he's taken while in office.

Running against multiple opponents in 2006, Fenty won a majority of the vote in every precinct in the city in that year's Democratic primary -- an unprecedented feat credited in large part to his extensive door-to-door campaign.

But the incumbent entered the 2010 race with significantly decreased popularity. While he had more money in the bank and higher name-recognition than Gray, polling has shown him badly trailing the D.C. Council chairman as voters complained he was invisible. Fenty's campaign focused on touting his results in office, which aside from the schools improvements includes lower crime rates, increased population and more satisfaction with city services.

In His Own Words

"If you're not visible and engaged and energetic, you're not doing the job of a big-city mayor."

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