Last week Mayor Bloomberg got himself one of those fancy Super PACs that all his billionaire buddies were raving about, and yesterday he actually took the old girl out for a cash-spewing spin. But what happens after the November 6th election? Does Bloomberg pack up his Super PAC and go? Or does he keep spreading the wealth? Because if there is one thing we know Bloomberg's billions can do, it is buy an election in New York City. And we happen to have a big election a little more than a year away.
For now Bloomberg is keeping mum on his Super PAC's local future: The election is "a long ways away," he said when asked about 2013 yesterday. "And I’ve got to think long and hard. I’ve got to be mayor right up through and make sure there’s a transition. So what I really want to do, and how much I can do, how appropriate it is, I haven’t really thought about. But there’s plenty of time to do that. Right now I’m worried about Nov. 6.”
Seriously though, Bloomberg's money could have a huge impact on next year's mayoral campaign. Right now City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is ahead in the polls and the fundraising but not insurmountably so. If she is, as is speculated, Bloomberg's choice for the job he probably doesn't need to put much money into the campaign. But if he decides he wants to support a dark horse like Ray Kelly? Well, then things could get very interesting very fast.
