Spitzer backs Ferrer for mayor

[cal04]

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said Wednesday he would endorse Fernando Ferrer for mayor, lending the Democratic candidate a high-profile backer in a crowded primary race. The announcement is unusually early and breaks a practice among many statewide politicians who wait until after the party's primary to express their support.

"I'm not shy about articulating my support for a candidate when I think they're the best candidate," Spitzer told the New York Times in Thursday's edition. "I don't mean to sound overly pure about this, but you endorse the candidate you believe in and hope that things work out." Spitzer, a Democrat, is running for governor next year.

To explain his support, he cited Ferrer's work in revitalizing the Bronx, where he was borough president, and his commitment to the middle class. Recent polls have shown Ferrer to be ahead of his Democratic rivals, which include Councilman Gifford Miller, Rep. Anthony Weiner, and Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields. The primary winner will go up against Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg in November.

Ferrer said he believes Spitzer's support will go a long way. Spitzer "gets the fact that people from minimum-wage workers to the middle class are getting squeezed," Ferrer told the Times. "I will be asking him to lend his prestige and presence in every corner of the city. Every corner."

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/newyork/politics/nyc-spitz0224,0,79735.story?coll=nyc-homepage-breaking2

[woosh]

1. What are the chances of Bloomburg losing?

I really want to see some movement against GOP candidates in Blue areas. Bloomburg would be a great start to an ousting of Pitaki.