Sharpton to Endorse Thompson for Mayor – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com
City Room – Blogging From the Five Boroughs
July 17, 2009, 4:57 pm
Sharpton to Endorse Thompson for Mayor
By David W. ChenIt wasn’t a matter of if, but of when.
As he has indicated for months, the Rev. Al Sharpton plans to endorse City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. in his bid to unseat the two-term incumbent Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. And he will finally make it official on Saturday with a news conference at Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn, followed by three campaign appearances together in Brooklyn and Queens.
The only surprise would be if Mr. Sharpton lashes out at Mr. Bloomberg, with whom he has a cordial relationship.
In April, Mr. Sharpton said in an interview with The New York Times that he would back Mr. Thompson, but cautioned that the comptroller needed a compelling reason for voters to change horses, reminiscent of what David N. Dinkins did to Edward I. Koch in 1989.
”Koch gave us such good reasons to vote against him,” Mr. Sharpton said, in a reference to the racial tensions during his administration. ”That’s not the case with Bloomberg. Even on issues where we disagree, the mayor reaches out to us, so there isn’t that hostility. That raises a problem for those of us who are with Billy.”
Mr. Thompson is already considered a underdog to a popular mayor with almost unlimited resources. According to campaign finance reports released this week, Mr. Bloomberg has spent $37 million to date, and has vowed to spend at least $80 million of his own fortune to win. Mr. Thompson, by contrast, has raised $5.3 million, but has already spent $2.4 million.
Mr. Bloomberg has also been aggressive in wooing the black community, religious and political leaders. He has even won the endorsements of prominent blacks who live outside the city, like Mayors Adrian M. Fenty of Washington and Cory A. Booker of Newark.
But Mr. Thompson’s supporters sense that Mr. Bloomberg is vulnerable to charges that he is an aloof billionaire who has done little to help working-class New Yorkers. So Mr. Sharpton’s endorsement should help to energize Mr. Thompson’s Democratic base, and provide all sorts of images for future commercials and mailers.
Mr. Sharpton has criticized Mr. Bloomberg’s bid to rewrite the city’s term limits law, in order to give the mayor and other elected officials a chance to run for a third term. Some Thompson supporters also found slivers of hope on Thursday, when Mr. Sharpton appeared at City Hall to endorse City Councilman Bill de Blasio for public advocate.
When asked about Mr. Booker and Mr. Fenty, Mr. Sharpton hinted that the mayor had not paid enough attention to his backyard.
“I think that’s nice — maybe people in town are the ones he needs to concentrate on,” Mr. Sharpton said.
