Poll: Anita Bonds Leading Council Race

A poll out a week before D.C.'s special election found candidate Anita Bonds leading the field with 19 percent of the vote, with a whopping 43 percent of likely voters saying they still were undecided, rendering the At-Large Council race still up in the air. 

Republican Patrick Mara -- who received endorsements from the Washington Post, Washington Blade and Northwest Current -- and Democrat Elissa Silverman tied for second, each receiving 13 percent of the vote in the Public Policy Polling survey.

While the poll serves as a solid litmus test of where public opinion generally stands a week before the election, there’s reason to take it with a grain of salt.

First, the survey did not include Michael A. Brown, who dropped out of the race but remains on the ballot. The poll also only contacted people via landline -- skewing the demographics older -- and because this is a special election, it's harder to calculate voter turnout.

Read more of the poll results here.

IN OTHER NEWS:

* Across the Washington region, public safety agencies reacted to the deadly bomb blasts in Boston by increasing efforts to keep the area safe, including expanding the security perimeter around the White House and posting uniformed officers at busy Metro stations during rush hour. (Washington Post)

* D.C. Mayor Vincent said that the Emancipation Day parade and celebrations will continue as planned Tuesday, though security will be tightened. (Politico)

* During the most recent fundraising period, Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe raised twice as much as competitor Ken Cuccinelli ($5.1 million to $2.4 million). This gap had a lot to do with rules that banned Attorney General Cuccinelli from courting donors during this year's legislative session. (Washington Post)

* Three-time Republican D.C. Council candidate Patrick Mara had a contract in 2009 to help a conservative think tank raise money from his campaign donors in exchange for a “consulting fee” or a portion of the money raised. (Washington Post)

* First Lady Michelle Obama will be in Annapolis Wednesday to join Gov. O’Malley as he signs legislation to help veterans re-enter the work force. (Capital Gazette)

* U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly endorses Aneesh Chopra for lieutenant governor. (Virginian-Pilot)

* Maryland spent $5,600 on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s security at the Super Bowl (Baltimore Sun)

* After the Washington Post Magazine ran an article on the extreme wealth of students at the George Washington University, the University responded saying that the image displayed was “distorted.” (Washington City Paper)