If the Boston mayoral race were a poker game, Mayor Thomas M. Menino would be holding all the aces—an approval rating around 85 percent, the incumbency, major endorsements, and a war chest of more than a million dollars—while challenger Peggy Davis-Mullen not only lacks good cards, but also faces a plethora of embarrassing accusations of having cheated her way into the game.

While there still remain a few wild cards-including a couple of lawsuits the City Council recently filed against Menino, Davis-Mullen’s potentially strong support from Boston parents and teachers, and the councillor’s widely-recognized ability to show up the mayor in public speaking-chances are slim that the challenger can actually win.

The two-term City Councillor is the first opposition to challenge the mayor in eight years, and is a longshot to be the first female mayor in Boston’s history.

But even Bruce C. Bolling, the man who was defeated by Menino back in 1993, is lining up behind Boston’s current mayor.

“I think he’s done a very credible job,” says Bolling of his former opponent.

The Power of Incumbency

Statistically speaking, the odds are against Davis-Mullen.