And then there were four*: Sarah Thomson drops campaign bid, endorses Smitherman

And then there were four*: Sarah Thomson drops campaign bid, endorses Smitherman

It’s official: Sarah Thomson has announced that her cash-strapped, anemically polling campaign is calling it a race and withdrawing. Despite some speculation that she would throw her support behind Rocco Rossi, Thomson is endorsing George Smitherman as the candidate best suited to beat Rob Ford. (Suddenly, Ford’s televised implications that Smitherman and Thomson were colluding seem a bit more credible.) Coincidentally—or, you know, not—this news comes the day after the release of a new poll suggesting that it’s Smitherman, not Ford, who would win a two-man race.

The Toronto Star gives a little bit of background on why Thomson is endorsing Smitherman instead of Rossi: apparently Thomson was leaning toward Rossi until the Rossi campaign began leaking her preference to reporters. If any of the candidates needed a better excuse to run a tight ship, we can’t think of one.

We can’t let this moment pass without taking one more possibly gratuitous shot at Conrad Black’s legendary sense of timing and good judgment: one day after Black strongly endorses Thomson, she withdraws from the race and endorses a man Black described as “just a drop-out from the McGuinty economic miracle that has made Ontario a have-not province.” No word on whether Thomson agrees with Black’s assessment, but we’re thinking “no” is a safe guess.

Godspeed, General Thomson of the Subway Army. She was the first to make a subway-based pitch to the city. It’s too late for Thomson to take her name off the October 25 ballot, so if anyone still wants to vote for road tolls, subways and a massive network of bike paths, it will still technically be possible.

*front-runners!

• Thomson seen ending long-shot mayoral bid [Globe and Mail]
• Thomson announcement could mark end of mayoral campaign [Toronto Star]
• Thomson drops out, Ford releases cost-cutting plan for city hall [CP24]
• Sarah Thomson Drops Out Of Mayoral Race [City News]

(Images: Pantalone, Mammoliti, Ford, toronto.ca; Rossi, Rocco Rossi; Smitherman, OldTownGuy; Thomson, Joey Schwartz.)