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Tight Race Shaping Up For D.C. Council Appointment

By: Patrick Madden // January 6, 2011
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A battle is brewing to fill the vacant seat on the D.C. Council. Thursday night, a group of political insiders will appoint a temporary council member and it's looking like a two-man race.

It's the classic insider/outsider match-up.

There's Vincent Orange, the former Ward 5 council member and longtime politician who has unsuccessfully run for mayor and council chairman.

Orange appeared to have the edge with D.C.'s Democratic State Committee, the 82-member group that will make the pick Thursday night.

But committee sources now say a newcomer to District politics, Sekou Biddle, is making a strong push.

Biddle is a school board member and former teacher. He has picked up a flurry of endorsements in the past few days -- several council members and Council Chair Kwame Brown have thrown their support behind Biddle.

The appointment is temporary. A special election will be held in four months, but political observers say the person picked to fill the seat will have a major leg up on the competition.

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