A possible desertion of the Tenleytown faithful could shake Fenty’s re-election bid; he’s already grown unpopular in the poorer and blacker sections of the city. The Washington Post‘s D.C. Wire has more:

Gray campaign manager Adam Rubinson, who lives in Ward 3, said the result was “a true testament to the grass-roots organization we are building.”

The results, which follow the trouncing the mayor took from the D.C. Democratic Committee straw poll last weekend, also raise questions about how solid Fenty’s get-out-the-vote efforts really are.

Now, anyone who counts yard signs — as D.C. Wire does — knows it still looks like Fenty has the advantage in Upper Northwest. But the straw poll results are another symbolic boost to the Gray campaign, helping it counteract the conventional wisdom that he would struggle to win over white voters.