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Thursday, April 21, 2005
NYC-Mayor: Sharpton Staying Mum
Posted by DavidNYCIt's hard to believe Al Sharpton would ever really keep his mouth shut, and who knows whether he'll keep his promise, but according to the NYT, he won't be endorsing anyone in this year's Dem primary for NYC mayor.
Before I go any further, let me say that I have absolutely no dog in this fight. Being away from my hometown, I haven't followed this race as closely as I did the last mayoral contest. But moreover, I just haven't been in the least bit inspired by any of the candidates. Nonetheless, this race matters to eight million New Yorkers and an equal number of people who live in the greater metropolitan area.
Anyhow, that aside, what does Sharpton's move mean? Well, it's pretty deadly for the Ferrer campaign, it seems. Sharpton was explicit in saying that Ferrer's recent comments about the Amadou Diallo case, in which Ferrer said he thought that the shooting of Daillo was not a crime, were the deciding factor. (If you aren't familiar with the Diallo case, I strongly urge you to follow the prior link - it was a seminal moment in recent New York City history.)
This suggests to me that one of two things is likely to happen: Ferrer will continue to make mistakes (everyone in NYC knew that his Diallo comments were an enormous error the moment he uttered them) - partly because he now has a seeming penchant for them, and partly perhaps out of desperation for losing Sharpton - or, chastened and burned, he will run an overly cautious campaign.
Either way, this throws the field wide open. Ferrer was still the front-runner (though declining) in a Q-Poll even after his Daillo remarks - he had a 36-21 lead over his nearest opponent, Manhattan Borough President (a mostly powerless job) C. Virginia Fields. But pre-Diallo, it was 4013. I'll bet ya that gap tightens up a good bit more more, and soon.
Posted at 01:08 PM in New York | Technorati