Bill de Blasio Gets Support in NYC Mayoral Race from Former Democratic Opponents Christine Quinn, Bill Thompson
Just days after Bill de Blasio came out on top to clinch the Democratic nomination for the upcoming New York City mayoral race, his former foes have hopped on his bandwagon as he prepares for his new nemesis: Republican candidate Joe Lhota.
Christine Quinn, who was leading the polls for much of the Democratic race before she was felled by negative publicity stemming from her support of current mayor Michael Bloomberg, hopped onboard the de Blasio train alongside Bill Thompson, the second place finisher who just missed an opportunity to face de Blasio head to head in a runoff race.
Following the back-and-forth campaign, Quinn told CBS New York that she fully supports the new Democratic candidate.
"We're here today after a campaign and it was a hard-fought campaign by all and campaigns are, you know, at their essence, about drawing contrasts between yourself and your opponent," Quinn said. "But I've got to tell you, I trust Bill de Blasio, I believe he will be a terrific mayor for the city of New York,"
At City Hall on Monday, de Blasio stood next to fellow Democrat and New York governor Andrew Cuomo as the two talked about the importance of bringing the Democratic party back to the mayor's office. Thompson put aside his differences and joined them in support.
"There is nothing more beautiful than Democratic unity, and thank you for it," de Blasio said to reporters.
Meanwhile, his Republican counterpart spoke to reporters at Central Park and said de Blasio's policies would be too much.
"Bill de Blasio's change is radical," he said as quoted in The New York Times. "My change is practical."
The general election date is Nov. 5.