Early Primary Is Looking Iffy

When last we left the arcane world of presidential primary scheduling, the Democratic National Committee, then led by Chairman Terry McAuliffe , had sent letters urging Democratic presidential candidates to pull out of the District's first-in-the-nation primary, held Jan. 13, 2004, in violation of DNC rules.

Now McAuliffe is gone. The winner of D.C.'s nonbinding primary, Howard Dean , has been ensconced as DNC chairman. And a special DNC commission appointed to revamp the primary process is holding its second meeting Saturday in Chicago.

But the District is a long way from winning the DNC's blessing to hold its 2008 primary ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire, a PR gambit that D.C voting-rights activists believe would draw national attention to the city's lack of representation in Congress. Only one of the primary commission's 40 members is a D.C. resident. And Donna Brazile is not getting her hopes up.

"There's a special case that can be made for Washington, D.C. But I don't know how many people I can bring along with me," Brazile said in an interview. "We didn't have a lot of internal support in 2004. And D.C. is not seen as a player in presidential politics."

D.C. voting-rights activists are insisting that Brazile promised to do whatever it takes to get an early primary for the District when she persuaded the D.C. Democratic State Committee to withdraw its support from the 2004 primary. The local party heeded Brazile's wishes, but the D.C. Council, led by Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), had already changed the date. So balloting proceeded in violation of DNC rules.

Now, voting rights activists say Brazile owes them one. Brazile "needs to have her feet held to the fire on this," said Chuck Thies , political director of the DC Democracy Fund.

Brazile says voting-rights activists need to grow up.

"First of all, they did not honor their commitment. They had no sense of politics," she said. "I'm dealing with people with a lot of emotional baggage, but not a lot of political expertise. You lobby for things like this for years.

"I'm only one vote and I'm willing to put it forward. But I cannot deliver this," she said. "I will politely introduce it and speak on its behalf. And, if it comes to vote, I will vote for it. But that's the end of my commitment."

She Could Be a Contender

The District is becoming a town of political Hamlets: To run? Or not to run?

The latest to officially join the ranks of the hesitant but ambitious is D.C. Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D), who said in a recent interview that she has decided not to retire from public life, after all. "One decision down, another to go,'' joked Cropp, who must yet tangle with The Big One: whether to run for mayor.

Cropp said she has been talking with family members, friends and supporters, some of whom have offered to "draft'' her into the mayoral fray. "It's just a matter of me making a decision,'' she said. "And there will be no exploratory anything. I will say simply that 'I want to be your mayor.' "