That was Joe’s tongue-in-cheek response when asked how he might have to shift his approach in order to run against McGinn rather than the mayor. Gimmicky campaign tchotchkes were never so useful as tonight at Mallahan’s election party at Fado, where the “I’m a Fan of Mallahan” paper fans, featuring Joe with sleeves rolled up before the Seattle skyline, were the only thing creating a breeze inside the sweltering pub.The T-Mobile executive argued that his “track record of effective management” would win out over McGinn, should he end up facing the greenie tunnel-hater in the general election. That, and the fact that McGinn has based his candidacy primarily on a single issue, whereas Mallahan claims to have run a “very broad” (some would say “very vague”) campaign.His communications specialist Charla Neuman also claimed Joe was “the more tested candidate” by virtue of having survived the late advertising attacks from Nickels.Former city council member Peter Steinbrueck, in attendance at the Mallahan gathering, could hardly contain his glee at the apparent ouster of Mayor Nickels. “He never had great popularity,” he said. “[Nickels] was the default candidate after [Paul] Schell lost the primary.”Steinbrueck was enthusiastic about Mallahan, though he stopped short of endorsing him, especially since Nickels may yet survive the primary. But he said, “Mallahan in some ways typifies Seattle.” He added: “People are craving optimism, a sense of humor, and self-deprecation, things we’ve missed with the current administration.”