Nov 4, 2009 3:09 pm US/Eastern
Bloomberg: 3rd Term Didn't Make NYC Race Close
Mayor Mike Escapes With Third Term Win, Says Five Point Victory Wasn't All That Close
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg exits a voting booth November 3, 2009 in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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New York City's 2009 Mayoral Candidates, Michael Bloomberg (left) and William Thompson
CBS
Two with no sugar and one with sugar.
Mayor Bloomberg needed caffeine Wednesday morning after a long night of nail biting in which his expected easy victory over challenger William Thompson Jr. turned into a squeaker.
It was only $3 for his coffee at his "lucky morning after I win an election deli" in Bensonhurst, a mere drop in the bucket for a man who dug deep into his own pockets to win a controversial third term.
Bloomberg said it wasn't anger over the third term that caused the tight outcome, pointing out that Democrat Jon Corzine got the boot in New Jersey and Andy Spano got the boot in Westchester. A third term wasn't an issue in either of those cases.
"What you're really seeing here is a frustration with a difficult economy that's really hurt some people. Not everybody, but it has hurt some," said Bloomberg Wednesday morning.
After leading in virtually every poll by double digits, Bloomberg said he didn't think a five point victory was all that close.
"I don't think the margin of victory was narrow," he said. "I'm just honored that not the plurality, which is all you need, but the majority of the people in the city said keep up the hard work."
Mandate or no mandate, the billionaire mayor is not going to have an easy third term.
"I think anybody who is running the city of New York for the next four years is going to be tough," said Senator Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn).
Bloomberg headed to City Hall where he held his regular morning staff meeting. It will prove to be a very costly election for Bloomberg.
It is estimated that Bloomberg spent about $179 per vote, but that's without factoring in all the tens of millions of dollars he spent in the last few days, according to CBS 2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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