Tycoon wins republican support in mayoral race

Billionaire American media mogul Michael Bloomberg easily won the Republican primary in the New York mayoral contest, while two Democrats headed for a runoff.

Further complicating the race was the possibility Mayor Rudolph Giuliani may try to stay on to steer the city through its crisis.

With 26% of the vote counted, Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer had 78,222 votes, or 36%, to city Public Advocate Mark Green’s 69,222 votes, or 32%. A candidate needed 40% of the vote to avoid an October 11 runoff.

Bloomberg, who has already spent more than $20m (£13m) of his own money on the race, easily defeated former Congressman Herman Badillo.

With 27% of 5,630 precincts reporting, Bloomberg had 11,168 votes, or 66%, to Badillo’s 5,695 votes, or 34%.

‘‘This city is at a crossroads,’’ Bloomberg, 59, told supporters. ‘‘We weathered the crisis and now we face the rebuilding, an enterprise no city has ever dealt with before.’’

The winners of each primary meet on November 6.

Both Green and Ferrer promised to conduct runoff campaigns based on the issues, especially recovery from the terrorist attacks.

‘‘It won’t be a normal campaign because these are not normal times,’’ said Green, 56, who for eight years has been the city’s public advocate, an elective office in which he essentially serves as a government watchdog.

Ferrer, 51, seeking to become the city’s first Hispanic mayor, asked campaign supporters for a moment of silence in honour of the more than 6,000 people still missing after the twin towers collapsed.

‘‘Even if we recover from the tragedy we must not forget that there are other pressing problems facing New Yorkers problems we must not ignore,’’ Ferrer said.