NYC Election Held In Rudy's Shadow

Still grappling with a city left scarred by terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center, some New Yorkers sought normalcy in democracy, nominating for mayor Republican billionaire Michael Bloomberg and sending two Democrats to a party runoff.

Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer and city Public Advocate Mark Green ran nearly even in Tuesday's Democratic primary, sending the race to an Oct. 11 runoff. Bloomberg, the financial media entrepreneur, sailed to an easy victory in the Republican primary.

The candidates, who fought to emerge from Republican Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's shadow during the campaign, now face the possibility that he might try to extend his term or seek re-election.

Although the popular mayor is barred by law from seeking a third consecutive term, Giuliani tells CBS News Anchor Dan Rather he's "open to the idea" of continuing in the job.

In an interview to air on CBS News' 60 Minutes II Wednesday night and 48 Hours Friday night, the mayor said, "I am open to the idea of doing it. I don't know yet the right way or the right thing to do, and I have to really consult and talk to the governor and other people that really have to have a voice and a role in figuring out how to do it."

The mayor said he and his staff "have developed all of this expertise, and this is the time the city needs it most."

Asked whether he's available to stay on past his current term, Giuliani answered, "Yes."

Giuliani's aides have been encouraging moves that might put him in the race, including a repeal of the term limits law.

The primary had been scheduled for Sept. 11, but was postponed after two jetliners toppled the twin towers, leaving the nation's largest city in chaos, its economy in jeopardy and more than 6,000 feared dead.

With 90 percent of 5,630 precincts reporting Wednesday morning, Ferrer had 249,592 votes, or 36 percent, to Green's 217,790 votes, or 31 percent. Candidates needed 40 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Bloomberg, who has already spent more than $20 million of his own money on the race, easily defeated former congressman Herman Badillo. With 91 percent of precincts reporting, Bloomberg had 44,262 votes, or 72 percent, to Badillo's 17,174 votes, or 28 percent.

The winners of each primary meet Nov. 6.

"It won't be a normal campaign because these are not normal times," said Green, 56, who essentially serves as a government watchdog in his role as public advocate. "The city is somber. Voters I met today were not enthusiastic about voting."

The terrorist attacks resulted in a slower-than-normal count of votes. Telephone lines knocked out in lower Manhattan disabled electronic transmission of the unofficial results to The Associated Press.

The unofficial returns did not include at least 15,000 absentee ballots or write-in ballots, all of which will be counted later. Exit polling of Republican voters indicated about 15 percent wrote in a candidate's ame - presumably Giuliani - which is not enough to affect the primary's outcome.

The other Democratic candidates were City Comptroller Alan Hevesi and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone.

Exit polls suggested there was considerable support for Giuliani, whose handling of the crisis has been wildly applauded. About 40 percent of Democrats said they would vote for him if he found a way to run in November, while 80 percent of Republicans pledged to back him.

But most voters refused to let terrorism change the decisions they had made before the attack, exit polls showed. Voters largely stuck with the mayoral candidates they backed before the attack, and many continued to rate education over terrorism as their top concern, according to an exit poll conducted by Edison Media Research.

Ferrer, 51, is seeking to become the city's first Hispanic mayor. He asked campaign supporters for a moment of silence in honor of the people still missing since the twin towers collapsed.

"Rarely in our history have we seen so much will and determination in the city and the country," Ferrer said. But Ferrer said other issues he has made central to his campaign, such as education, must not be neglected.

On Tuesday night, Bloomberg promoted his record as a successful entrepreneur.

"My experience really has prepared me for these rough and difficult times ahead," Bloomberg said. He also sought to play up his ties to Giuliani, saying he would keep on members of the Giuliani administration if he won.

In other elections around the country: