Naked Cowboy
On July 20, 2009, it was announced that Burck would challenge Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2009 election for Mayor of New York City. At his announcement, Burck stated, "No one knows how to do more with less than yours truly, and that's the kind of thinking I plan on sharing with my fellow New Yorkers when you elect me." In response, Jonny Porkpie, the self-proclaimed "burlesque Mayor of NYC" announced that he would run against him, echoing Lloyd Bentsen during a campaign announcement that critiqued Burck's "man-panties". "I know naked. Some of my best friends are naked. And you, sir, are not naked."
Thomas White Jr.
White won the Democratic primary vote in November 2009 to seek a new term, following the overturning of term limits at the insistence of New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a vote by the New York City Council, by a six votes. This small margin of victory has been attributed by some political observers to public anger over the overturning by the City Council of two referendums supporting eight-year term limits. Five other council incumbents, four of whom had voted to overturn term limits, lost their bids for re-election, the largest such number since the 1980s.