Ferrer's 40

Fernando Ferrer might indeed have more than 40% of the primary vote, which means there won't be (most likely) a runoff next Tuesday. The Daily News cites sources "with direct knowledge of the count" as saying the revised primary count is now 40.15%, an increase of 0.20% over last week's count. This news not only gives the Ferrer campaign a moment of peace, but it also make primary runner-up Anthony Weiner's concession seem like a great idea. Yesterday, Ferrer welcomed an endorsement from Congressman Charles Rangel (Gothamist lives for TV coverage of Rangel because he has the coolest voice) at the African-American Day Parade in Harlem. However, an inquiring person put a damper on things asking why he made those remarks about Amadou Diallo's police shooters being possibly "overindicted." Ferrer tried to explain, but it was a messy clarification, as he had to admit he was wrong and thereby seems like someone who's not thinking when he speaks. Rangel accused the Mayor of trying to appeal to both Democratic and Republican votes. Rangel used "half-pregnant" as his theme: You can no longer raise money and support those people [the Republicans] in Washington and say you're not one of them. It's like being half-pregnant. Either you're in or you're out.Mayor Bloomberg, in the meantime, mentioned that he has worked well with Rangel in the past.

Gothamist is intrigued to see how the race will unfold: The Mayor has unlimited amounts of money to pour into advertising, but with Hurricane Katrina, issues about class will probably become more prominent. And on the whole, people seem to be less willing to think a billionaire "gets it."