Derek Jeter 'Endorsement' Touted, Then Rescinded, By Council Hopeful Ronnie Cho

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — Yankees superstar Derek Jeter's made an apparent endorsement for a City Council wannabe – but it was quickly rescinded just hours after it was made.

Candidate Ronnie Cho, an alum of the Obama administration, is running to be District 2's Democratic candidate for City Council. He faces off against a number of candidates for the nomination, including Carlina Rivera who has been endorsed by the term-limited Council Member Rosie Mendez. District 2 includes the East Village and parts of the Lower East Side and Gramercy.

Cho's campaign sent out two statements on Monday. The first claimed the Yankees retired shortstop was endorsing him because of Cho's work with youth in New York City.

"That is why I’m proud to support him on his run for New York City Council, District 2 and I urge you to support him too on September 12th," the statement, attributed to Jeter, read.

About 12 hours later, the campaign released a second statement scrubbing any mention of an official endorsement. Cho's team claimed that the first statement hadn't included Jeter's complete quote.

A spokesman for Jeter's charitable foundation, the Turn 2 Foundation, later told the New York Daily News that the athlete doesn't endorse political candidates.

"Derek does not endorse any political candidates, so this is no different," the spokesman said. "He was speaking to Ronnie's character and the relationship he and the foundation had with Ronnie."

Tuesday's race for the Democratic nomination has largely become a three-candidate race, with Rivera out in front in terms of money raised and endorsements collected. Rivera has been endorsed by numerous local politicians and previously worked for Mendez.

For his part, Cho's high-profile name as a former Obama staffer and MTV vice president has attracted endorsements and funding from beyond District 2. On Tuesday, prominent NYC activist Michael Skolnick tweeted his support of Cho.

Fellow Obama staffer and current podcast phenom Jon Favreau also tweeted his support and encouraged listeners to support Cho.

Read other Patch coverage of the District 2 City Council race here:

• Eight Candidates Vie For District Two Council Seat
• Obama Adviser David Axelrod To Fundraise For City Council Candidate

Image credit: Al Bello / Staff / Getty Images Sport