President Obama endorsed Bill de Blasio (D) for mayor of New York City, Politicker reports.
“In 2009, Mr. Obama endorsed Democratic nominee Bill Thompson-but only a the last minute and indirectly, via his spokesman, who never actually mentioned Mr. Thompson by name. This time around, with Mr. de Blasio dominating in the polls, it’s a different story.”
“Wealthy donors and advocacy groups are using the Virginia governor’s race as a testing ground for next year’s midterm elections and for the 2016 presidential campaign, flooding the state with unprecedented levels of out-of-state spending,” the Washington Post reports.
“Campaign contributions from Virginia residents and local businesses have been swamped by donations from individuals, corporations and interest groups based elsewhere, who are vying to influence the only competitive gubernatorial contest in the country this year.”
A new Roanoke College poll in Virginia shows Terry McAuliffe (D) edging Ken Cuccinelli (R) by two points in the race for governor, 35% to 33%, with Libertarian Robert Sarvis at 8%.
A new Quinnipiac poll in New York City finds “yawning racial gaps on many issues” as Bill de Blasio (D) leads Joe Lhota (R) on every measure except taxes and has a commanding 66% to 25% lead among likely voters.
Said pollster Maurice Carroll: “The same kind of coalition that won de Blasio the Democratic primary is working for him in the general election campaign. He’s OK among white voters and gang-busters among black and Hispanic voters.”
A new Suffolk Poll in Boston shows John Connolly leading the mayoral race with 16%, just head of Martin Walsh and Daniel Conley who are deadlocked at 12%.
Said pollster David Paleologos: “Since the July poll, Councilor-at-large John Connolly has opened up a little distance from the pack. If the undecided voters continue to fall in the same proportion as they have over the past two months, Connolly may be the only candidate who breaks through the magical 20 percent threshold, which would earn him a place on the final ballot for mayor.”
A new Quinnipiac poll in Virginia finds Terry McAuliffe (D) leading Ken Cuccinelli (R) in the race for governor among likely voters, 44% to 41%, with Libertarian Robert Sarvis picking up 7% of the vote.
Said pollster Peter Brown: “McAuliffe is less disliked than Cuccinelli. Voters are not wild about either man, and that may be one reason why Sarvis is running so well. History tells us that third-party candidates tend to experience shrinking support as Election Day nears. If Sarvis does get 7% of the actual vote, that would reflect not just his strength but the weakness of the major party candidates.”
The New York Times looks at how political donors legally prohibited from giving to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) are aiding him through the Republican Governor’s Association instead.
“The association has, in turn, poured $1.7 million into Mr. Christie’s re-election effort… Mr. Christie’s close relationship with the association provides a playbook for how carefully choreographed independent spending campaigns can undermine the rules meant to curtail the political influence of government contractors; New Jersey’s pay-to-play law strictly limits the participation of state contractors in political giving.”
A new WNBC/Wall Street Journal poll in New York City finds Bill de Blasio (D) with a daunting lead over Joseph Lhota (R), 65% to 22%.
New York Times: “That 43-point gap would be intimidating for nearly any candidate. But Mr. Lhota must also win over an electorate in a city in which registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by nearly six to one, and the low poll numbers could further depress his already lackluster fund-raising. ”
In a new television ad for his special election for the House in Massachusetts, openly-gay Carl Sciortino (D) “underlines his liberal credentials in a playful back and forth with his father, who doesn’t share his left-of-center views,” the Boston Globe reports.
It’s very effective.
A new Rutgers-Eagleton poll in New Jersey finds Gov. Chris Christie (R) leading Barbara Buono (D) in the race for governor by 20 points among likely voters, 55% to 35%.
Meanwhile, a new Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press poll shows Christie with a 61% to 24% job approval rating.
When Bill Thompson (D) finally abandoned his quest for New York City mayor yesterday, “in a disappointing coda to a campaign filled with what ifs over everything from demographics to his message, it presented a microcosm of a dutiful but not-quite-compelling career,” the New York Times reports.
“A product of Brooklyn machine politics, Mr. Thompson believed strongly in by-the-book tactics, like gathering institutional endorsements. Yet he never led in a single poll. He never surged or collapsed, unlike some of his rivals. And despite campaigning for 24 hours straight, not once, but twice, in the past six weeks, the mild-mannered Mr. Thompson could never convince voters that he had enough political thunder.”
“Republicans can’t believe this is happening: Democrat Terry McAuliffe — whose controversial business dealings and past life as a party moneyman make him a walking negative ad — has taken command of the Virginia governor’s race,” Politico reports.
“More than a dozen interviews last week with longtime Republican insiders around the Commonwealth yielded near-unanimous consensus that their candidate, state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, lost significant ground over the summer and would lose if the election were held today.”
Said one prominent GOP official: “It’s going to be a bath.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) will hold an event with Bill de Blasio (D) and Bill Thompson (D) later this morning “to help bring an end to the Democratic mayoral primary,” Capital New York reports.
“For Cuomo, who avoided public appearances in the city during the primary, it’s a bold entry that forestalls a potentially divisive run-off process, and projects his status as the central figure in the state’s Democratic politics.”
Politicker reports Thompson will drop out of the race today.
With just over a week until election day, a new Boston Globe poll finds Boston voters “remain flummoxed by the crowded mayoral race.”
John Connolly holds “a slight edge in a field so tightly bunched and volatile that as many as nine candidates have a plausible shot at the final.”
My nominee for the best political ad of the year comes from Minneapolis mayoral candidate Jeff Wagner (D). Just outstanding.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that he had decided not to make an endorsement in the general election for mayor, the New York Times reports.
Said Bloomberg: “Helping the next mayor get prepared for the job so he can hit the ground running is really one of the most important things I can do for New Yorkers after November. I don’t want to do anything that complicates it for the next mayor, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve decided I’m just not going to make an endorsement in the race.”
Despite mounting pressure to drop out of the New York City mayor’s race, Bill Thompson “emerged from a meeting with his highest-profile backers tonight and again refused to concede a runoff until more votes are counted,” Politicker reports.
Said Thompson: “It continues to become clearer and clearer that there are tens of thousands of votes that are out there. We believe that the votes should be counted.”
A new Purple Strategies poll in Virginia finds Terry McAuliffe (D) leading Ken Cuccinelli (R) by five points in the race for governor, 43% to 38%.
“With many voters undecided — and two disliked candidates — this race is unpredictable.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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