The federal investigation into D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray’s 2010 election is now including a focus on a suspected get-out-of-the-vote effort that was not reported publicly and that several campaign workers refer to as a “shadow campaign,” reported insiders with knowledge of the investigation. The previous campaign staffers reported the alleged activity ran outside the apparatus of the official election efforts, which means that the spending was not reported, as would usually be mandatory by campaign finance laws. A number of campaign aides and volunteers reported to The Washington Post that veteran field organizer, Vernon E. Hawkins coordinated the alleged effort, occasionally working out of Gray’s downtown campaign headquarters. During this time, the Democratic hopeful, Gray, was the little guy and his fundraising wasn’t competing with the incumbent mayor, Adrian M. Fenty (D). The alleged “shadow campaign” would have increased money and manpower.
Hawkins was a former Human Services director who was forced out in 1996 after mismanagement claims, and was an advisor who advised Gray’s campaign on literature that would reverberate with voters east of the Anacostia River. The anonymous campaign workers reported that they don’t’ know the origin of Hawkins’ effort, but it was well-organized. Hawkins did not return any phone calls and Gray refused to answer any specific questions about the ongoing investigation involving campaign allegations.
