Mayor Vincent Gray kept to his official schedule Wednesday, shrugging off the worst parts of the NBC4/WAMU/Washington Informer Marist poll.
The poll shows the mayor leading by a comfortable margin against a crowded field -- but two-thirds of D.C. Democrats say it’s time for a new mayor. A challenger could consolidate anti-Gray votes to catch him.
That's in part because 46 percent believe the mayor was unethical in his 2010 campaign, and 24 percent think he did something illegal. The campaign is still the focus of a federal criminal probe.
"I, you know, have apologized for what happened in the campaign," Gray said. "I've said all that I know to say. I don't know what else to say. I said I didn't do anything and I'm saying it again."
Despite the number of likely voters concerned over Gray's ethics, the poll shows nearly 75 percent believe D.C. is on the right track.
"Well, I continue to believe that I've done a great job," he said.
Gray says he's doing a good job even though the poll shows some voter dissatisfaction with him. That's very similar to what former Mayor Adrian Fenty said four years ago.
Will D.C. voters once again vote out a mayor after one term?
"I don't know," Gray said. "I hope not since i'm running for re-election."
Ward 2 Councilmember and mayoral candidate Jack Evans trails in the polls -- 12 percent to Gray's 28 percent -- but said the investigation is keeping this race competitive.
"The mayor is struggling with that issue," Evans said. "A city where 75 percent of the people say we're in the right direction, a sitting mayor should be way up in the 50s, not sitting in the 20s."
