President Barack Obama endorsed fellow Democrat Bill de Blasio for mayor of New York City on Monday, bringing more momentum to the "tale of two cities" progressive candidate who trounced the Democratic primary field earlier this month.
"Bill's agenda for New York is marked by bold, courageous ideas that address the great challenges of our time," Obama said in a statement, according to the New York Times.
For Obama, this marks the second time he's endorsed in the mayoral race; in 2009, he offered late support for Democrat Bill Thompson. Thompson outperformed polling, but lost to incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Bloomberg, meanwhile, has decided not to endorse a candidate in the election, largely seen as a blow to Republican nominee and former M.T.A. chairman Joseph Lhota. Lhota served as deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani; Bloomberg became mayor via the Republican primaries before later switching his affiliation to independent.
For de Blasio, the Obama endorsement comes on the heels of support from the Clintons, who endorsed the candidate last week. Much as Obama's 2008 run to the presidency was, de Blasio's campaign has centered around the theme of change and a break from the past. De Blasio has vowed to reform stop-and-frisk, a street policing method that critics say unfairly targets communities of color.
In addition, de Blasio also shares some of the president's mixed-race everyman appeal, though he takes a different spin with it. The public advocate is married to Chirlane McCray, a black woman, and their son Dante was featured in an advertisement that pundits believe played a role in winning de Blasio broad support amongst communities of color.
The general election between de Blasio and Lhota takes place on Nov. 5. According to the most recent polling, de Blasio leads by approximately 40 percent over his Republican counterpart.
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