Evans Switches Support To Obama

Fenty and Gray did their part, showering Evans with praise.

"If we're frank about it, for so long people would get elected, and you would never see them again," Fenty said. "One person who has bucked that trend now for 17 years is Jack Evans."

"This is not going to be a campaign," Gray said. "This is the beginning of a reelection."

Not everyone is cheering Evans.

Political activist Peter Rosenstein has sent a scathing letter to Evans, chiding him for endorsing Obama.

"I just think that the problem with Evans is that just two weeks ago he had pledged to be a Clinton delegate," Rosenstein said in an interview. "He made a pledge to be a Clinton delegate. Once you make a pledge like that, people should be able to trust you."

As a pledged delegate, Evans must still cast his vote at the Democratic National Convention in Denver for Clinton as a representative of the small percentage of District voters who supported her.

Douglass Descendants Campaign for Quarter

The descendants of Frederick Douglass are having their say about the District quarter contest. The images being considered for the quarter are sketches of Douglass, scientist Benjamin Banneker and jazz giant Duke Ellington.

Guess which the abolitionist's relatives say is the best choice?

"Frederick Douglass led the abolitionist movement to end slavery. He was a key figure in the Underground Railroad. And he was one of the most important early supporters of the women's suffrage movement. He truly embodies the motto 'justice for all,' " said Nettie Washington Douglass, a great-great-granddaughter of Douglass and a great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington.

The descendants issued a statement noting Douglass's presence all over the District, including the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site at Cedar Hill, the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and the Frederick Douglass Museum, his first home in the District.

"Frederick Douglass made history here with his wartime visits to Abraham Lincoln in the White House," Washington Douglass said. "His service as president of the Freedman's Savings Bank, his time as U.S. marshal of the District and his years as minister-resident and consul-general to the Republic of Haiti all make Frederick Douglass an excellent choice for the quarter."