Mark Green and City Councilman Bill de Blasio will go head-to-head in round two of the public advocate fight as neither candidate cleared the 40 percent of the vote necessary to avoid a runoff.
Green, a former mayoral candidate who served as public advocate during the Giuliani administration, got 31 percent of the vote. De Blasio got 33 percent. A runoff is scheduled for the end of the month.
An ecstatic de Blasio hugged supporters at his primary party in DUMBO Tuesday night and challenged Green to 10 debates in the next two weeks.
A more subdued Green said he would prevail in the race and touted himself as the independent candidate for change running against the political machine.
De Blasio gained on Green steadily in recent weeks, netting endorsements from former Mayor Ed Koch and Gov. Mario Cuomo, Rev. Al Sharpton and the New York Times.
But his campaign has also encountered some problems.
De Blasio has strong affiliations with ACORN, the controversial nonprofit community organization. According to the Village Voice, the candidate spent Election Day penning a letter to ACORN distancing himself from the group after members were caught allegeldly advising a couple who posed as a pimp and a hooker on how to run their business.
De Blasio was also criticized for sending targeted mailers to the African-American community featuring a picture of his wife Chirlane, who is black. The New York Post reported that the incident angered several black politicians.
The two other public advocate candidates, Eric Gioia and Norman Siegel, earned 18 percent and 14 percent of the vote, respectively.
The winner of the Sept. 29 runoff will face Alex Zablocki, the Republican candidate, in the general election.
