Did Obama endorse Thompson for NYC mayor?

Obama never used the words "endorse" or "support" when referring to Thompson, but he did acknowledge Thompson's presence in the room by describing him factually as "our candidate" for mayor.

"A great city comptroller, our candidate for mayor, my friend Billy Thompson is in the house," the president said from the podium. That was enough for Thompson to declare it an endorsement of his candidacy.

"I am excited and proud to receive the endorsement of the President," Thompson said quickly. "To have the President of United States get involved in a New York City mayoral race and endorse me illustrates that he believes I will win and that I can lead this city."

Thompson also accepted an endorsement by the president on October 9 (shown below), after the president's press secretary announced that Obama would be supporting the Democratic candidate for mayor.

The Obama White House has worked with Mayor Bloomberg's administration on a number of issues, including the federal stimulus and Wall Street regulation, and the president has been reluctant to criticize the incumbent New York City mayor, who is spending record amounts of money to win a third term in office against the underfunded Thompson.