NYC mayoral campaign kicks into high gear

As September winds down, politicos and other interested parties can rejoice the fact New York City's mayoral campaign continues to kick into high year.

City Councilmembers Bill de Blasio [D-Park Slope] and John Liu [D-Flushing] won the runoff election for Public Advocate and Comptroller last night, but all eyes have shifted to the race between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and current Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. And so what does all of this expected politicking actually mean?

One can almost certainly continue to conclude Thompson has an extremely uphill battle ahead of him. Bloomberg continues to tap into his massive personal fortunate to fund his campaign, but one of Thompson's main problems is the majority of New Yorkers don't know him. And in addition, one of his principle campaign messages is his opposition to the mayor's decision to change the term limits law. This position is certainly valid, but the challenge that arguably lays ahead for Thompson is to convince New Yorkers he is something more than an opposition candidate.

On the other hand, Bloomberg must convince New Yorkers he is the person who can continue to lead the city through extremely tough economic times. Palpable anger remains over his decision to extend term limits so he could run for a third time. The question remains, however, whether this angst will actually make a difference on Nov. 3. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted from Sept. 15-21 found 52 percent of New York City voters support Bloomberg; compared to 36 percent of those who endorsed Thompson. Anything can obviously happen between now and the general election, but these numbers simply confirm the mayor remains relatively popular among city voters.

Stay tuned for more electioneering... and more ads that feature Bloomberg speaking Spanish!