NEW YORK CITY (By Ruth E. Hernandez Beltran, EFE) September 20, 2005 - The attainment of the Democratic candidacy for mayor of New York by seasoned Nuyorican politician Fernando Ferrer has stoked the hopes of many Hispanics here that the nation's major East Coast city might be run - as is the principal West Coast metropolis - by a Latino.

But Hispanic analysts also acknowledge that winning back from Republicans the mayorship they have held for 12 years is an uphill struggle, noting the vast financial resources that Michael Bloomberg can count on in his re-election bid, and the fact that some prominent Latinos are in the incumbent's camp.

"Freddy" Ferrer's capture of the Democratic mayoral nomination marked the first time ever a Hispanic has borne that standard.

Ferrer, 56, is a New York-born Puerto Rican raised by his mother and grandmother in the South Bronx, the poorest part of a borough where Hispanics are now the largest group. The candidate, who says those two women inspired his ascent from humble beginnings, won just under the 40 percent of the vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary that would have given him the victory without a runoff.

His closest rival, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, bowed out afterward, throwing his support behind Ferrer in a gesture of party unity.

Ferrer now faces an uphill battle convincing the New Yorkers who will vote in November that he is the best person to run this multi-ethnic city of 8.1 million residents.

Billionaire Bloomberg not only commands practically limitless financial resources, he also has a number of high-powered Democrats lined up behind his bid for a second term.

The incumbent is said to be prepared to spend as much as $100 million on his campaign, prompting some Democrats to accuse him of wanting to buy the city.

By Wednesday, Bloomberg's team was ready with its response to the emergence of an Hispanic opponent, airing an ad that features Puerto Rican salsa star Willie Colon literally singing the praises of the mayor.

Ferrer adviser Luis Miranda acknowledges the challenger can't match Bloomberg in spending, describing the contest as one of David versus Goliath, but insists his candidate will win on the streets by going directly to the people.

"This is an historic event and there's no doubt that Ferrer is the ideal candidate to take on Bloomberg. We can't exclude the possibility that he can win the mayor's office," journalist and pundit Gerson Borrero told EFE.

Last May in Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, a son of a Mexican immigrant, defeated incumbent Mayor Jim Hahn to become that city's first Hispanic chief executive in more than 100 years.

Ferrer is a veteran of New York politics, having served on the city council and spent 14 years as borough president in the Bronx, which he is credited with transforming from a byword for urban blight to a nationally recognized model of redevelopment.

More than 66,000 housing units were built during his administration, and businesses attracted by the improving situation created 34,000 new jobs in the Bronx.

In 2001, Ferrer lost a hard-fought primary runoff with Mark Green, then the city's public advocate, who went on to be defeated by Bloomberg.

In an editorial Wednesday hailing Weiner's concession, Newsday pointed to the "poisonous contest - heavy with class and racial overtones" between Ferrer and Green in 2001 that "split the party into furious factions and paved the way for the election of Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg."

Now, as four years ago, Ferrer's message is that he will do for the city as a whole what he did in the Bronx: encourage new housing construction; promote small business to create jobs; reduce school dropout rates; and improve access to health care, especially for the 1.8 million New Yorkers without insurance.

"We are going to change history for every New Yorker who believes that hope and opportunity should be available in equal measure ... on every block ... in every borough," he told supporters after the polls closed Tuesday night.

Ferrer's clinching of the Democratic nomination was greeted with enthusiasm by many New York Hispanics, especially within the city's 800,000-strong Puerto Rican community.