At more than 8 million people, the population of New York City is greater than that of most states. So why aren’t we focusing more on tomorrow’s mayoral election?
Because this contest simply isn’t a contest.
In simply monetary terms, the two-term incumbent, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has already spent more than $85 million of his own money, dwarfing the $6 million expenditures of his opponent, Democrat Bill Thompson. And Bloomberg’s record-breaking expenditures may reach $140 million by the time it’s all said and done.
But it’s more than just money.
Bloomberg, an Independent, is an incredibly popular mayor. He’s so popular that last year he was able to convince the City Council to extend term limits from two terms to three so he could run again. A billionaire (and the richest man in New York City), Bloomberg was a lifelong Democrat until he switched to the Republican party to run for mayor in 2001. He won again as a Republican in 2005 before becoming an Independent in 2007.
Thompson, the city’s comptroller, has worked in city politics for the bulk of his career. He easily won the Democratic nomination, getting 70% of the vote in a September primary against a councilman from Queens.
Thompson has relied heavily on his endorsement by President Obama, printing fliers and posters showing the two standing side by side. But the endorsement itself was lukewarm — and didn’t even mention Thompson by name.
When asked earlier this month who Obama supports, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, “The president is the leader of the Democratic Party, and as that would support the Democratic nominee.”
The poll numbers reflect the steep hill Thompson faces.
Numbers released today by Quinnipiac University show Bloomberg up by 12 points, 50 to 38. Although the gap is closing — a week ago Quinnipiac showed Bloomberg up by 18 points — it still doesn’t look good.
Bloomberg has used his epic spending in part to buy 2,875 TV ads between Sept. 21 and Oct. 19, according to Nielsen, close to double Thompson’s 1,593 ads. Before that, Thompson’s campaign had only purchased 14 ads — compared to Bloomberg’s 4,706.
