Mayor Michael Bloomberg already secured the Independence and Republican Party lines on the ballot, but on Thursday he was at a Midtown Manhattan mayoral forum zeroing in on a far more formidable target: the labor-backed Working Families Party.

“I believe I share your passion for improving the lives of working families across the city,” said the mayor, who is hoping the party can endorse him, something they haven’t done in the last two elections.

But the audience did not warm to some of his stances, like how he does not support campaign spending limits.

“You can’t have a totally ‘fair, equal’ election,” said Bloomberg. “Some people went to better schools than others. Some people were luckier about the families they were born into. Some people are members of parties that have an enormous number of people that automatically vote that line.”

He also said that small families are in homeless shelters because they choose to be.

“We have made the shelter system much more humane and civilized. That unfortunately also means it’s more attractive to go to,” said the mayor.

Dan Cantor, the head of the Working Families Party, said a Bloomberg endorsement is a long shot.

“He has a harder row to hoe,” said Cantor.

Bloomberg’s more likely goal is a repeat of the 2005 election, when he did not get the endorsement but he blocked anyone else from getting the party line. Namely, he aims to block his main rival, Democratic City Comptroller Bill Thompson.

Thompson, who has run in past elections on the Working Families line and the support of many labor-backed proposals, got a warm reception on Thursday.

“Mike Bloomberg can be beat and I firmly believe that I’m going to be the next mayor of the City of New York,” said Thompson.

The forum was by no means a debate, a form that the the incumbent mayor says he will only participate in during the general election. Bloomberg, Thompson and City Councilman Tony Avella got the questions beforehand and never shared the stage.

The Working Families Party will holds its endorsement vote at the end of next week.

Source: NY1