Mayor Blowout!

Republican Michael R. Bloomberg had to wait hours back in 2001 to find out he had earned an upset victory to become the new mayor of the City of New York.
On Tuesday, The Associated Press called the election for the mayor just a shade over one hour after the polls closed.
Indeed, the polls showing the incumbent with an insurmountable lead over Democratic challenger Fernando Ferrer were accurate.
“Four years ago we held this party at B.B. King’s, but this time we needed a bigger room,” Bloomberg joked in his victory speech. “New York City is back in business.”
Bloomberg’s margin as of the press time for The Queens Courier was close to 60 percent with Ferrer at 40 percent.
While it was not the 30-something point lead predicted by many, when all the votes are counted it certainly will rank as one of the biggest victories ever for a Republican mayor in this town.
“What we’re seeing tonight is the election of a man who managed to stand on his principles,” Queens Democratic Councilmember and Bloomberg endorser James Sanders, Jr. said.
Early indications were that voter turnout was much better than the dismal showing in September’s Democratic Primary.
At P.S. 178 in Jamaica Estates, for example, a half-hour wait greeted voters who showed up at 8:30 p.m.
editrich@queenscourier.com