The announcement recasts a mayoral race defined until now by Gray’s absence. Ten other candidates, including four D.C. Council members, have picked up ballot petitions for the April 1 Democratic primary — some of them doing so because Gray seemed unlikely to run. The incumbent brings instant name recognition to a field of mostly little known candidates, but also the specter of an ongoing federal investigation into campaign finance improprieties during his 2010 race.
Gray’s decision to pick up nominating petitions comes less than two weeks after the District’s top federal prosecutor suggested publicly that more charges are possible in a long-running investigation into D.C. political corruption that began with allegations of wrongdoing in the last mayoral campaign. Four people affiliated with Gray’s campaign have pleaded guilty to felony charges.
Gray (D) said Monday that he could no longer stand to have his political future dictated by the prosecutors’ timetable.
