Though the end result of last night's mayoral election doesn't come as much of a surprise, the closeness of the race shocked a lot of onlookers. After running a record-breaking $100 million campaign that won major endorsements and blanketed the city in nearly non-stop advertising, Mayor Bloomberg defeated the underfunded Democratic candidate Bill Thompson by only 5 percent of the vote, winning with 51 percent to his rival's 46. This comes after polls from the days before the election predicted Bloomberg ahead by double digit — some even anticipating a win almost as large as his 20 percent victory in 2005. The pollsters might have some explaining to do. more ›

Mayor Michael Bloomberg won his controversial third term by beating Comptroller William Thompson by a much smaller than predicted margin. See the updates below for how the election night unfolded. more ›

The latest Quinnipiac poll put Bloomy's approval ratings at 69%, and holding a strong 52-36 lead over the Democrat William Thompson. In an interview with Gothamist, asked what it would take to unseat the billionaire, former DNC chair Howard Dean replied, "Term limits." more ›

The latest Marist poll puts Bloomberg ahead of Thompson 50% to 39%, 10% undecided. The eleven-point lead is in line with previous polls, so it looks like winning the primary didn't help Thompson out that much. But there's still six weeks until election day! more ›

A new Quinnipiac poll shows that Mayor Bloomberg's approval rating has gone down to 66%, from January's 69%. While it's still a good rating, it is still the lowest rating of his second term (he had a 31% rating in 2003!) and Quinnipiac finds 55% of voters find him "cold and businesslike, not warm and friendly," a finding "consistent among blacks, whites and Hispanics, men and women and in all five boroughs." Quinnipiac's polling director Maurice Carroll explains, "New Yorkers don't warm up to Mayor Mike, but they give him high marks for doing his job." As for an election matchup, Bloomberg still beats both City Comptroller Bill Thompson and Rep. Anthony Weiner. Interestingly enough, Weiner, who signals he may not run for Mayor, has more support than Thompson among voters, but the campaigning really hasn't begun. more ›

Gov. Paterson appeared in Harlem yesterday, the place he calls home with his wife and the state senate district (30th) he represented before becoming Lt. Governor under Eliot Spitzer. The Governor was joined by a host of politicians--including former Mayor Ed Koch, City Comptroller William Thompson, Nassau County Exec. Thomas Suozzi, and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion--at Al Sharpton's National Action Network's meeting hall. His reception was very warm. In an effort to quiet an enthusiastic crowd chanting his name, Paterson said from the podium, "Stop, please. This is the sort of thing that makes people like us feel like we're real important." more ›