William Thompson speaks at a rally outside of Mayor Bloomberg's campaign headquarters on Tuesday to protest Bloomberg's refusal to state his positions on an AIDS issues. Democratic mayoral hopeful William Thompson finally got some love from President Obama - but he had to share it with two other citywide candidates.
"Our great city controller, our candidate for mayor, my friend Billy Thompson, is in the house," Obama said last night during a Democratic fund-raiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom on W. 34th St.
The President also recognized Democratic controller nominee John Liu and Democratic public advocate pick Bill de Blasio in the same shoutout.
It was far from effusive, but it went way beyond the tepid endorsement White House spokesman Robert Gibbs served up earlier this month when he said Obama backed the "Democratic nominee" in the mayoral race.
Obama met briefly in private with Thompson prior to the Hammerstein fund-raiser, said Jeff Simmons, the controller's spokesman.
"The President encouraged him in his run and said, ‘Keep working hard.' Bill responded, ‘I am every day,' " Simmons said.
