Clampitt to Bow Out, Back Brown

At-large council candidate Adam Clampitt issued a media advisory this morning for a "joint news conference" with fellow challenger Michael A. Brown on Monday to announce a "major development" in their campaign against incumbent Carol Schwartz.

Sources tell LL that Clampitt will announce that he his is ending his campaign and endorsing Brown. The presser is scheduled for noon Monday at Eastern Market.

Clampitt raised a lot of eyebrows early in the race by raising thousands from well-heeled donors to the mayoral run of Adrian M. Fenty, leading to scuttlebutt that Clampitt, a 33-year-old public relations executive and Capitol Hill resident, would be anointed by Fenty to oust Schwartz. That support from the mayor seems not to have materialized; his most recent campaign finance report showed Clampitt's campaign to be some $12,000 in debt. He marched in last week's Palisades 4th of July Parade with about a half-dozen supporters---a quite smaller contingent than he brought out a year ago as a virtual unknown.

Calls to Clampitt and Brown were not immediately returned.

UPDATE, 12:15 P.M.: Says Clampitt, "No comment."

UPDATE, 12:30 P.M.: Brown says he has no comment, "not at this time."

Photo by Darrow Montgomery