There was jubilation in his voice, having come this-close to defeating the self-funded and overwhelming favorite, incumbent Mike Bloomberg. There was also, at least to me, a hint of relief. Thompson, after all, spent much of his time blasting Bloomberg's two terms in office rather than offering a concrete vision for what he'd do as Mayor for New York City.
I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to the outcome of the Mayor's race if Pres. Obama had campaigned even once for Mr. Thompson. I know, I know, the President campaigned three times in New Jersey, and incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine went down to a stunning defeat.
The Limbaugh set is making much hay over New Jersey being a referendum on the President. But I think the truer assessment is that the race was a referendum on Mr. Corzine and New Jersey's troubled economy and corrupt government structure.
Rather than hurt Corzine, the argument could be made that the President helped him; that he would have been defeated by an even bigger margin had Mr. Obama not campaigned for his fellow Democrat.
The big questions now: Will Mayor Bloomberg be humbled by spending about $100 million, or nearly $200 a vote, to get re-elected by barely getting 50% of the vote? And will the management style that made him a multi-gazillionaire now be tempered by his lack of a mandate?
In New Jersey, tougher questions for the Governor-elect Chris Christie. It's easy to talk about cutting taxes when you're running for office; actually doing it is quite another thing. Will he be able to slash taxes without disabling government services? And can he kill a culture of corruption that has infected much of the state's local politics?
These are tough jobs – the offices that Bloomberg and Christie have sought and won. No matter what your politics, you should wish them good luck.
We'll have the latest on the election fallout and reaction, tonight at 11.
We're also following Game Six of the World Series, where the Yankees try, again, to win their 27th World Championship. Scott Clark is leading our coverage, and if the Yanks to win tonight in the Bronx, we'll be on the air for extended coverage post-game.
And we're taking a look at the newest real estate trend – a trend that started in the depths of the recession, but a trend that has some legs to last as the market picks up.
We're talking about auctioning properties – not in foreclosure, but as they come to market. It's a no-hassle (or at least lesser-hassle) way of doing business. Auction it, and it's done. Nina Pineda tonight shows us the pros and cons of buying and selling homes at auction.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Lee Goldberg's AccuWeather forecast. I hope you can join Liz Cho and me, tonight at 11.
BILL RITTER
