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For someone who just lost a major political race, William Thompson is surprisingly upbeat, fired up by his supporters and the message of his campaign.

"It was just, everybody was so happy and so excited. We all wanted to win, I wanted to win, but I think we sent a strong message that this city needs to go in a different direction," Thompson said.

Thompson insists he's not bitter that prominent Democrats like President Barack Obama kept their distance and refused to rally around his campaign.

Some argue that if the national Democratic Party had really been in his corner, he might have won the lopsided fight.

"This is something that, those who didn't get involved. Those who didn't see the possibilities and potential are going to have to live with. Not me. I did the best that I could do," Thompson said.

Thompson said he wasn't shocked by the close outcome. When he was criss-crossing the five boroughs as a candidate, he said he saw firsthand that New Yorkers wanted the city to go in a new direction.

"I think that's one of the things the polls missed, I think that's one of the things the articles that were written, missed, that sense of energy that was out there. The sense of people looking for a change," Thompson said.

While he hasn't spoken to the mayor since Election Night, Thompson did get a dig in at his former rival Thursday, saying Mayor Bloomberg did not get a mandate on election night.

As for his own campaign, Thompson disputed suggestions it wasn't well-run and explained why he didn't pounce harder on comments Rudy Giuliani made while stumping with the mayor.

Thompson supporters called the remarks racially charged and the episode was a notable misstep by team Bloomberg -- and perhaps a missed opportunity for Thompson.

"Was there more I could have done to go with that story? Yeah, but I also didn't want to divide the City of New York," Thompson said.

So what's next for the city comptroller? There's speculation he might try to challenge the current State Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli, in a Democratic primary in 2010.

When asked, Thompson said he's not looking at that seat, but notes that nothing is off the table. He also said he's looking forward to taking a moment to catch his breath.