[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] This was Governor Andrew Cuomo’s moment. According to sources familiar with Bill Thompson’s final decision, Governor Andrew Cuomo played a leading role in brokering the deal. “New York City certainly loves its primary campaigns. We had some doozies this year, but in the end of the day the voters acted and they acted smartly,” Mr. Cuomo said as he stood aside of his colleagues, uniting the party behind the winner of last week’s primary – Bill de Blasio.

At a City Hall press conference flanked by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and some of Mr. Thompson’s supporters, including Congressman Charlie Rangel and the UFT president Michael Mulgrew, the former comptroller today endorsed his one-time Democratic opponent, Bill de Blasio, in the race for mayor of New York City.

Explaining his initial determination to stay in the race until every vote counts, Mr. Thompson blamed the Board of Elections for its dysfunctional canvassing process, which would drag the announcement of an official outcome only days before the expected runoff primary, leaving only days or hours to rally the support needed to win.

“It would be a disservice to my supporters and a disservice to Democrats. And most of all a disservice to the people of New York City, who are desperate for a new direction after 12 long years,” Mr. Thompson said.

“Today I’m proud to stand next to a great New Yorker and throw my full support behind him. And I ask every single person who campaigned for me, supported me and voted for me, to do the same thing,” he concluded.

In return, Mr. de Blasio showered his own praise on Mr. Thompson.

“I want to say to everyone assembled: there is nothing more beautiful than Democratic unity, and thank you for it,” said Mr. de Blasio. “In this city and in this party, there is no man of greater integrity … Even when we disagreed, our friendship–our mutual respect–continued.”

“I am profoundly honored, I’m profoundly humbled, to receive the support of Bill Thompson, and his extraordinary coalition,” he added. “And Bill did build an extraordinary coalition, because people had such great respect for him and his years of service, and it means so much that we will be working in partnership for the good of New York City.”

Mr. Cuomo, standing out as the leader of the Democratic party, praised Mr. Thompson for his decision to withdraw.

“It can be much harder to step back than to step forward,” he said. “And it takes a man of substance, it takes a man who really believes in public service and believes in the principles of the Democratic Party, to actually do it, and that’s what Bill Thompson is doing today.”

Mr. Cuomo celebrated the party’s unity as he officially endorsed Bill De blasio for mayor. “New York will be an even greater city under the leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio,” Cuomo said.

“Having Cuomo’s seal of approval will likely help de Blasio reposition himself as a moderate going into his contest with Joe Lhota who is already painting de Blasio as extremely left leaning and someone who will undermine the city’s gains under Bloomberg,” The Gothamist writes.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)