The Hill News

D.C. City Council Chairman Vincent Gray, a candidate for mayor, met up with President Barack Obama at a WNBA game in downtown Washington Sunday night.

Obama attended the game with his youngest daughter Sasha, 9, and one of her friends. But he still had time to greet Gray, who is challenging incumbent D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary race.

The victor will be an overwhelming favorite to win the Nov. 2 general election in heavily Democratic D.C. 

The Obama-Gray meeting was not mentioned in White House pool reports of the game. But Mo Elleithee, a veteran Democratic strategist working for Gray, retweeted a photo of the handshake that was posted on Gray's campaign Twitter account:

RT @grayformayor: Vince talking with President Obama at Sunday's Mystics game http://twitpic.com/2ashkl

Obama has some history with Gray's opponent. In July 2007, Fenty endorsed then-Sen. Obama (Ill.) for the Democratic presidential nomination when he was trailing badly to then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (N! .Y.) in the polls.

Ten days before taking office in Jan.! 2009, O bama ate with Fenty at Ben Chili Bowl, a popular Washington eatery. 

It's not clear if Gray and Obama had met before Sunday night. 

The president sat with Washington Mystics President Sheila Johnson and Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics owner Ted Leonsis was "seen nearby," according to a pool report.