de Blasio, Thompson await results in vote recanvassing
AP
NEW YORK -- The two Democrats vying for their party's nomination for New York City mayor are spending Saturday waiting as city elections officials recanvass the 640,000 votes cast in Tuesday's primary.
Former comptroller Bill Thompson, who finished second Tuesday, has refused to bow out of the race. He reiterated Friday his belief that all votes should be counted in the recanvassing effort, which validates the vote count from more than 5,000 voting machines used on election night. His decision comes despite urging by some fellow Democrats, unions and surrogates that he get behind the campaign of front-runner Bill de Blasio.
De Blasio was invited to appear Saturday on the Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show, but Thompson was not. Sharpton has not endorsed a candidate. A Sharpton spokesman says the invitation was extended because de Blasio won the primary, and there is no official runoff yet.
De Blasio, the city's public advocate, is hovering around 40 percent of the vote, which is needed to avoid an Oct. 1 runoff. On Monday, elections officials will add thousands of absentee, special and affidavit ballots to the total tally.
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