Bill Thompson drops out of New York City mayoral race

  

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Bill Thompson has conceded the Democratic primary and dropped out of the New York City Mayor's race.

"It would be a disservice to my supporters, a disservice to Democrats and, most of all, a disservice to the people of New York City who are desperate for a new direction," Thompson said in explaining why he was ending his campaign.

Even though he was dropping out of the race, Thompson called on the Board of Elections to count all the votes cast during the primary.

"If this were a general election with consequences about the fundamental direction of our city, you can bet I'd fight until the very last vote," he said, calling for reform to the election process.

He is also endorsed Bill de Blasio as the Democratic nominee at the event, which is believed to have been organized by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"The best way to return fairness and decency, justice and dignity, hope and equality to every neighborhood in New York is to return a progressive to City Hall," Thompson said.

De Blasio was standing behind Thompson. He says he had the honor to work with Thompson for many years. He says there was "no man of greater integrity."

Thompson's decision eliminated a potential Oct. 1 runoff against de Blasio. That possibility had loomed as a significant distraction for Democrats, who are desperate to elect their first mayor since 1989 and were fearful that intra-party strife could provide a gift to Lhota and independent candidates.

"Bill de Blasio and I want to move the city forward," Thompson said at City Hall news conference Monday morning. "This is bigger than any one of us."

De Blasio will face Republican nominee Joe Lhota in November.

De Blasio has run an unabashedly liberal campaign, calling for a tax hike on the city's wealthiest neighborhoods to pay for universal pre-kindergarten and reforms to police tactics and demanding greater income equality to "put an end to the tale of two cities."

He also placed his interracial family at the center of his campaign. An ad narrated by his 15-year-old son helped fuel his meteoric rise from fourth to first in the primary's final month. He also received a boost in the campaign's final days when, in an interview, Bloomberg labeled de Blasio's campaign as "racist" and "class warfare," criticisms that galvanized de Blasio supporters.

Bloomberg, who declined to endorse in the race, refused to answer questions about his comments Monday during his first news conference since the remarks were published.

Lhota, who served as the head the city's transit agency and was a one-time deputy mayor to Rudy Giuliani, has vowed to continue many of Bloomberg's policies.

He is an ardent defender of the police department's use of stop-and-frisk, a policy that allows officer to stop people deemed acting suspiciously, saying it helped drive down crime. A federal judge ruled that it discriminates against minorities and ordered a monitor to oversee changes to the policy.

Lhota has also mocked de Blasio's plan to raise taxes, saying it would never pass the state legislature. He has suggested funding pre-kindergarten by cutting other government expenses.

Democrats outnumber Republicans 6-to-1 among registered voters, presenting Lhota with an uphill climb.

Get more Politics & Elections »

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•