Thompson Courts Orthodox Vote

NY Post

Mayoral hopeful and Bill Thompson is aggressively courting the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn — and has been surprisingly successful.

“Thompson’s definitely a favorite in the Jewish community, no question about it,” said Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Brooklyn Democrat who supported Thompson when he narrowly lost to Mayor Bloomberg in 2009.

Insiders have assumed that the coveted Orthodox vote would automatically go one of Thompson’s rivals, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
So far, that hasn’t been the case among Orthodox constituencies in Borough Park, Williamsburg and Crown Heights.

Thompson told The Post, “I’ve established relationships in the Orthodox community across the city. I’m getting a pretty positive reception. It isn’t a question of whether you’re Jewish or not.

“It is a question of leading the city; it’s a question of services to communities.”

Hikind said Stringer — the only Jew in the field of five mainstream Democratic hopefuls — will not necessarily grab the Orthodox vote.
Public Advocate, and likely mayoral contender Bill de Blasio, also has strong ties to Borough Park, having represented it for eight years in the City Council.
Thompson, who is seen as a likely front-runner in the crowded Democratic field next year, is expected to secure a wide majority of African-American voters, as he did in the 2009 mayoral race.

But Comptroller John Liu, who indicates he is running for mayor despite the arrest of two of his aides on campaign-finance fraud charges, could eat into Thompson’s support among minorities.

Another big-name Dem in the race, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, is openly gay, which could hurt her chances of winning Orthodox support.