Bill Thompson bowed out of the mayoral race yesterday and endorsed Bill de Blasio. Tens of thousands of paper ballots from last week’s primary have yet been counted, and he called it a disgrace that no official count had been determined nearly a week after the primary.

Although his campaign began four years ago, he had struggled to connect with voters that had brought him close to victory against Mayor Bloomberg in 2009. His campaign was also hindered by internal disagreement and his opposition to stop-and-frisk legislation muddled his message on the issue. His exit now clarifies the race for council speaker as well.

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