Mayor Bloomberg stunned a group of City Council members at a private lunch for congestion-pricing supporters when he blurted out plans to back one of them in a tough upcoming race.
People at the Thursday gathering said Bloomberg told Councilman Hiram Monserrate he would support him if he attempts to unseat his fellow Queens Democrat, state Sen. John Sabini, this fall.
The councilman has not announced his candidacy, but is widely believed to be planning a primary challenge.
Monserrate confirmed the account and said the announcement caught him by surprise.
"I'm appreciative of the mayor's support. I'm flattered," Monserrate said.
It's no secret there has been plenty of backroom bargaining going on as the mayor and his staff try to wrangle the city and state votes for their plan to charge a toll to enter the busiest part of Manhattan.
Bloomberg has until April 7 to win the approval of the Council and Legislature for the proposal.
His comment was unusual because even the plain-talking Bloomberg doesn't usually show his cards in a room full of chatty Council members.
Mayoral spokesman Stu Loeser declined to comment.
Bloomberg and Monserrate clashed repeatedly in the mayor's first term, with the councilman once fuming that "not everyone has a private jet and has a chauffeured limousine to transport them to-and-fro in this city."
They've apparently patched things up.
An ex-cop who will be term-limited out of office next year, Monserrate came close to beating Sabini in 2006. He could have a good shot at winning this year.
Even though Bloomberg's backing is far from guaranteed, the implications go far beyond the 13th Senate District in Queens.
Sabini, a longtime legislator with a respected intellect, is considered vulnerable, especially after he was arrested last year in Albany on a drunken-driving charge. He pleaded guilty in February to the lesser count of driving while ability impaired, a traffic violation.
His defeat in the Senate could be a boon for Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, some believe.
Monserrate, a Democrat, was spotted last year at a fund-raiser for Bruno, a Republican and ally of the mayor. Republicans don't normally muck about in Democratic primaries - but they can.
If Bruno faces a vote to oust him from the top spot, he might have a friend in Monserrate.
"This is something that others are trying to put out there to discredit me, and it's unfortunate," Monserrate said. "I'm a Democrat, I'm a Democrat, I'm a Democrat. And I'm a progressive Democrat at that."
