The mayor’s appearances in predominantly Black Wards 7 and 8, among more than a dozen she has made since announcing her reelection bid in November, crystalize her quest to bolster ties to an area where she has drawn the least votes and where her support has shown recent signs of slipping.
All three events happened in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, reflecting the deep and persisting needs that have long defined the area where the city’s lowest-income communities are located.
Yet, others complained that Bowser is too aloof and voiced the long-standing frustration that their communities do not receive as much attention as more affluent White neighborhoods. In The Post poll, the mayor’s approval rating in Wards 7 and 8 was lower than in any other part of the city.Chris Baker, 52, a project manager who lives in Congress Heights, said the development projects that Bowser trumpets do not alter his view that she is benefiting from plans forged before she became mayor.
As an example of what he meant, Jordan, an elected advisory neighborhood commissioner, cited an email The disrepair, he told the mayor, represents the city’s “failure” to provide “the most basic things.” With the exception of Barry, a streetwise politician and a Ward 8 resident whose summer jobs program was a rite of passage for generations of low-income youngsters, D.C.’s mayors have often struggled to forge ties with residents east of the river.
As a Fenty protege, Bowser, too, was regarded with skepticism east of the river, particularly after defeating Gray. Her vote totals in Wards 7 and 8 were less than half of what she received in Ward 3, a collection of affluent, predominantly White neighborhoods in Northwest Washington that include Friendship Heights and Chevy Chase.
At the same time, Post polls showed that the mayor’s approval rating in Wards 7 and 8 increased from 60 percent to 66 percent from 2017 to 2019, before falling to 51 percent last month, the lowest she has fared since taking office.
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