Cropp, Fenty Chase Different Donors

Negash Shifraw, right, introduces Linda W. Cropp at an event at Abi Ti Ethiopian Restaurant in Northwest. His wife, Abonesh Boku, is at left. Cropp says she has "a broad range of contributions from everyone, from all over this city." (Photos By Lucian Perkins -- The Washington Post)

Former Verizon executive Marie C. Johns is hailed as an articulate, business-savvy alternative by a core of politically connected backers. She collected the most money from Zip code 20008, in affluent Cleveland Park.

Council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (Ward 5) has campaigned as a champion of economic development. He collected the most from Zip code 20002, home of the Capital City Market, where Orange proposes to build a massive new mixed-used development.

Lobbyist Michael A. Brown casts himself as the candidate of the downtrodden. He collected the most money from Zip code 20001, west of North Capital Street. But virtually all of it -- $12,788 -- came from Brown's North Capital Street office. Brown, who trails badly in fundraising, is his own biggest donor.

As for the front-runners, Fenty collected the most money, by far, from Zip code 20011 in the heart of Ward 4, picking up more than $128,000 almost entirely from individuals. The 20007 Zip code in wealthy Georgetown was second at $88,000.

Cropp collected the most money from Zip code 20036, a small square centered on a downtown stretch of Connecticut Avenue that delivered about $94,000. The 20016 Zip code in Palisades was a close second at $92,550.

Interviews with Cropp and Fenty donors from those areas reveal striking differences in the reasons for their support. Cropp givers interviewed are insiders with long connections to the council chairman or pragmatists who view her as the safe choice.

"I don't think she could do a lot of damage," said Jeffrey Pepper, a paralegal who gave Cropp $50.

Fenty donors interviewed tend to be idealists, bursting with high -- if vague -- hopes for the ambitious Washington native. Socialite Judith Terra, who has given $2,000, called Fenty "an amazing man" and compared their first meeting to her 1960 brush with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Several donors said they don't normally make political contributions but were inspired by Fenty to give and volunteer. Gloria E. Dickerson, a retired elementary school principal, has taken on extra consulting jobs so she can help Fenty's campaign. She said she likes his focus on constituent service and the fact that he will send his children to public school. So far, she has written checks totaling $1,351.

"I was aiming for $2,000, so I haven't finished yet," Dickerson said. "This is the first time in a long time I've just been so excited about a candidate."

Other givers are business owners who know Fenty's parents and believe that he will be sensitive to their needs. Still others say they find Fenty's youthful image appealing.

Cropp "is a very competent woman. But I don't know. It's just more of the same," said lawyer Gabriel Acevedo, who has given Fenty $850. "You need fresh blood in there now and then. And Adrian's a pretty bold guy. He's a good representative of the city."