Did Andrew Cuomo actually vote for Michael Bloomberg for mayor?

Andrew Cuomo made the first public gaffe of his gubernatorial campaign Wednesday, telling reporters he voted for Mayor Michael Bloomberg when he actually never pulled a lever for him.

"Have I voted for the mayor? Yes. And do I think he’s doing an extraordinary job? Yes," Cuomo said at City Hall Park after Bloomberg announced he was endorsing him.

"He misspoke," a Cuomo spokesman said in an e-mail to reporters. "He was only registered to vote in NYC in 2005 when he endorsed Freddy Ferrer. As he said today, he thinks the Mayor is doing a good job."

Cuomo got the mayor’s backing hours after a Quinnipiac poll showed he had a mere 6-point lead over Republican challenger Carl Paladino.

Previous polls had Cuomo, the state attorney general, ahead by double digits.

Paladino "had a primary win last week. He got a lot of press," Cuomo said in response to his eroding lead.

Bloomberg previously said he would stay out of endorsing candidates, but recently put his name behind the Republican nominees for state comptroller and state attorney general.

Michael Caputo, Paladino’s campaign manager, said Cuomo’s slim advantage in the polls indicates his Tea Party-backed candidate is making inroads with voters.

"It shows our strategy  is correct and the people are hearing our message across party lines," Caputo said.

(With AP)