Caroline Kennedy, the former first daughter who is making her case to get tapped for outgoing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s seat, didn’t cast a ballot in the 2005 mayoral primary or the 2002 general election, The Post has learned.
City Board of Elections records show the registered Democrat also didn’t cast a ballot in the 1997 mayoral primary race, a Post review showed.
Rev. Al Has Lunch Date With Caroline Kennedy
Kennedy, whose records show registered in the city in 1988, did vote in the general elections in 2005 and 1997. She also voted in both the primary and general races this year, as well as in 2006, 2004 and 2000 – the year of the contentious George Bush battle against Al Gore.
“Caroline Kennedy recognizes just how important it is to vote and has a very strong record of going to the polls, ” said her spokesman, Stefan Friedman. “She has not voted on a handful of occasions over the last two decades.”
Still, non-voting has been a sticky issue for past pols seeking office – and the issue could be fodder for Kennedy’s rivals.
In the 2005 mayoral primary, Fernando Ferrer – the former Bronx Borough President – nearly faced a runoff against Rep. Anthony Weiner, in a race that also included then-Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields and former Council Speaker Gifford Miller.
Ferrer ultimately won the 40 percent necessary to become the nominee against Mayor Bloomberg that year. The Post first reported that Bloomberg is quietly backing Kennedy’s candidacy.
In the 2002 general election, then-state Comptroller H. Carl McCall ran for governor against incumbent Republican George Pataki.
In the 1997 mayoral primary, the Rev. Al Sharpton nearly forced then-Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger into a runoff. She went on to get trounced by Rudy Giuliani.
Sharpton all but endorsed Kennedy earlier today at after the two broke bread at Sylvia’s restaurant in Harlem.