Joe Lhota meets with Rev. Al Sharpton

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Tuesday night, Joe Lhota did something the man he worked for, Rudy Giuliani, would never do. He met with Al Sharpton in person at Sharpton's place.

And they met right as a new poll shows Republican Lhota getting walloped by Democrat Bill de Blasio, 65 to 22%.

After 25 minutes meeting in private, they emerged to say they talked about schools, public housing, stop and frisk, but not Giuliani.

"So I'm not going to get into that. Everybody knows my views on Mr. Giuliani and him on me," Sharpton said.

Sharpton called the meeting cordial and candid. But Lhota and Sharpton seemed a little perturbed so reporters asked about Giuliani.

"Would I be the 3rd term of Rudy Giuliani or the 4th term of Mike Bloomberg? It'll be neither. It'll be the first term of Joe Lhota. We're all different," Lhota said.

And Lhota said if he's mayor, he'll meet with Sharpton a lot.

"I'm here because dialogue is needed in this City of New York. I have said over and over again we need to unify the City of New York," Lhota said.

Earlier Tuesday, de Blasio picked up the support of his former opponent Christine Quinn, and then he was asked about Lhota, and how he's called his tale of two cities divisive, a theme that pits rich against poor.

"There's nothing divisive about acknowledging the pain people are going through. There's nothing divisive about talking on that fact substantiated this Administration, 46% of New Yorkers at or near the poverty level," de Blasio said.

On this new poll, a spokesperson for Lhota said he knew all along this was going to be difficult, but she added New Yorkers will change their minds once they learn of what she called de Blasio's radical agenda.

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