Is the city Campaign Finance Board calling the mayoral primary for Democrat Bill de Blasio?
Not just yet, but the CFB on Thursday didn’t release any public funds for
between de Blasio and silver medalist Bill Thompson, saying that — as of now — it appears the frontrunner will win the primary outright.
The Board — based on a request from Team de Blasio — had ruled in June that candidates could go back to maxed-out donors and
to put aside for a possible runoff.
But the Board’s Matthew Sollars told our Greg B. Smith that “based on the unofficial results, a runoff election does not appear to be reasonably anticipated,” and so neither candidate got matching money in the new round of payouts.
“The Board may consider runoff payments at a later date if the results change,” Sollars said.
Unofficial Board of Elections results
from Tuesday’s voting on the city’s lever machines showed de Blasio, the public advocate, hovering right around the 40% of the vote he’d need to skirt a runoff.
Still to be counted: Thousands of absentee, emergency, military and overseas ballots cast on paper.
Thompson, the ex-controller, hasn’t conceded the race, saying in his Primary Night speech that all the votes should be counted and pledging to fight on.
But unions and public officials — some of which backed Thompson in the hard-fought primary — are moving to the de Blasio camp and
on the second-place finisher to bow out.
The BdB campaign, which held a rally to welcome the new supporters at Brooklyn Borough Hall Thursday, now also has the support of the Working Families Party, which had stayed on the sidelines in the top-ticket race until now.
Said WPF Executive Director Dan Cantor in a statement: “After more than two decades of City Hall leadership that put the interests of real estate and Wall Street ahead of the needs of New York’s middle and working classes, New Yorkers have made it abundantly clear that they are ready for a new direction. Bill de Blasio embodies that direction. We are thrilled to join in the campaign to elect Bill de Blasio the next mayor of New York.”
The amount of CFB taxpayer-financed subsidy to runoff candidates is based on 25% of whatever they’d received during the primary.
If the board decides that a runoff is, in fact, required, Thompson would be eligible for $463,111 based on what he’s raised toward Round Two, and de Blasio would get $725,960, Smith reports.
“Nothing is final until it’s final,” the CFB’s Eric Friedman told us.
IMAGES: CHASE GUTTMAN, DAVID HANDSCHUH/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
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