''Howard Dean Backs Bloomberg Challenger''

"NEW YORK - The national leader of the Democratic party threw his weight behind the underdog candidate hoping to oust Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Howard Dean and Fernando Ferrer campaigned together Tuesday in Manhattan, greeting passersby during evening rush hour.

The one-time presidential candidate is the latest prominent Democrat to back Ferrer's attempt to unseat Bloomberg, whose $5 billion personal fortune funds his re-election bid. Others include former presidential candidate John Kerry, his running mate John Edwards, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, and Rep. Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record), one of the city's most influential black politicians.
Dean said the Democratic National Committee will do "whatever we have to do" to help Ferrer win.

"Mayor Bloomberg is fortunate enough to be a billionaire, which puts him well out of touch with New Yorkers," Dean said. "Freddy's going to do this the old-fashioned way."

A Marist College poll released Tuesday found that nearly 80 percent of respondents believe the mayor will win a second term. It also finds Bloomberg with a comfortable double-digit lead — 53 percent to 38 percent over Ferrer — even though Democrats in New York City outnumber Republicans five-to-one.

The Marist survey questioned 721 registered voters last week and has a 4 percent margin of error. It also shows the mayor's highest approval rating: 61 percent of voters believe Bloomberg is doing either an excellent or good job.

"Republicans have shown they can't run the country and Bloomberg is one of the largest supporters of Bush," Dean said. "I think the Democrats are going to come home."

The mayor on Tuesday dismissed the strategy to tie him to Bush as a desperate ploy because his accomplishments — lowering crime and improving schools — are impossible to attack.

"If you're trying to run against that record, it's very hard to do, so maybe you would want to go out and look for something that has absolutely nothing to do with this election," he said.-from the AP story tonight.