There were no surprises in the mayoral race. For months the polls had predicted a landslide victory for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman who reportedly spent an estimated $70 million on his campaign against former Bronx Borough President Ferdinand Ferrer. Close to Election Day, some polls even proclaimed a margin of victory that would be closer to 30 percent. In the end, Bloomberg sailed back into City Hall for a second term carrying more than 58 percent of the vote as opposed to Ferrer’s 38 percent.

Bloomberg defeated Ferrer by 19.37 percentage points as a result of many Democrats crossing party lines to vote for him.

At his victory party, surrounded by throngs of ecstatic supporters, including prominent New York politicians, celebrities, union and community leaders, Bloomberg called his campaign “the most diverse campaign in history.” He added, “There has never been such a broad alliance.”

Indeed, the Bloomberg campaign landed endorsements from dozens of unions, including the New York City Central Labor Council, which represents 400 local unions with 1.5 million workers. NYCLC President and State Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin (DQueens), President of 32BJ Mike Fishman, DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, UNITE General President Bruce Raynor, Building and Construction Trades Council President Ed Malloy, Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward, and other union leaders praised Mike Bloomberg’s record on job creation and economic growth. The CLC endorsed Mark Green for Mayor in 2001.

On election night, Bloomberg promised New Yorkers that he would “continue to lead…honestly and independently, by always putting people’s interest ahead of the political interests and the special interests…That’s why you hired me four years ago, and that’s why you rehired me tonight.”

He also made numerous promises to focus during the next four years on several of the issues that Ferrer had sought to make his own during the campaign. Among them: building more affordable housing, developing more and better coordinated child day care and pre-K programs, smaller and specialized high schools to reduce dropout among teens and more efficient employment programs in welfare centers throughout the city.