Vincent Gray says Obama endorsement is ‘wonderful’ but don’t expect one from him

Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Monday that Obama’s entry into D.C. politics is “wonderful” but he has made no plans for an endorsement of his own. (Muriel Bowser campaign)

There have been some recent grumbles about President Obama dipping his toe into District politics with his endorsement Monday of mayoral candidate Muriel E. Bowser, but the D.C. mayor is not one of those grumbling.

“I think it’s wonderful that he has endorsed Muriel Bowser,” Vincent C. Gray (D) said at a Wednesday news conference where he was asked about the presidential nod. “I’m glad to see the president is connecting locally, because the president obviously lives in the District of Columbia.”

But Gray said he has still not made plans for an endorsement of his own.

With the nation’s leading Democrat now in Bowser’s corner, Gray’s decision not to endorse her could be seen as a major snub rooted in bad feelings over the sharply fought primary, where Bowser beat Gray among Democratic voters, 43 percent to 33 percent. That was an impression Gray established only days after the election, when he embraced Bowser only after prompting. Or it could be that Bowser, concerned about the ongoing investigation into Gray’s 2010 campaign and his low approval rating, simply does not want his endorsement.

Gray did not elaborate Wednesday. Asked to reconcile his kind words for Obama’s endorsement with his own lack of an endorsement, he declined: “You asked me to update my plans [for an endorsement], and I said no.”