Bloomberg Spent $102M to Win 3rd Term

NYC mayor shatters record for spending own cash on campaign
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 28, 2009 5:19 AM CST
Bloomberg Spent $102M to Win 3rd Term
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at the St. Regis Hotel on November 18, 2009 in New York City.   (Getty Images)

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent a whopping $102 million—$174 per vote—to narrowly win a third term in office this month, according to figures released last night. The billionaire broke his own record for the most expensive self-financed campaign in American history, the New York Times reports.

Bloomberg's rival, city comptroller William Thompson, came within 5 percentage points of victory despite being outspent 14 to 1. The mayor's critics say he has undermined the campaign finance system that he helped install, which caps spending at just $6 million. Bloomberg opted out of the system, burning through tens of millions in dollars in the campaign's final weeks as polls revealed his rival was edging ahead.
(More William Thompson stories.)

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