Mayor Bloomberg’s re-election bid is getting a little boost from a popular mayor of New Jersey’s largest city.
A campaign official told The Associated Press that Newark Mayor Cory Booker is set to endorse the billionaire independent at an appearance later Friday in Harlem.
Booker, whose approval rating in a recent poll was 83 percent, has had a friendly relationship with Bloomberg ever since taking office in 2006. Booker recently has been grappling with the same problems facing all urban mayors — he recently announced pay cuts and furloughs to reduce expenses in the city’s budget.
Bloomberg has made similar moves, slashing billions from the budget and announcing layoffs. He has said his experience as a former CEO and billionaire businessman give him the expertise necessary to guide the city away from economic disaster.
The campaign official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made, said Booker plans to highlight Bloomberg’s economic expertise and the progress made in city schools under mayoral control.
Booker, whose political career grew out of community organizing, often draws comparisons to President Obama.
His endorsement of Bloomberg could be a blow to the Democratic front-runner in New York City, William Thompson Jr., who has said he wants to build a campaign movement like the one created by Obama.
Thompson’s campaign did not immediately comment.