And word came this morning that they will be joined by public advocate Bill de Blasio.

To be clear, the rally is against Walmart and not on behalf of Occupy Wall Street proper, but it does mark perhaps the first time that a 2013 mayoral contender has made a publicized visit to Zuccotti Park. Mr. de Blasio did appear briefly at a press conference to urge the mayor against removing the protesters so that the park could be cleaned, but has otherwise kept his distance, telling Dana Rubenstein earlier this month that he planned to keep his distance until the demonstrators demands became clearer.

Among the other 2013 contenders, Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer has visited a few times but has not publicized those visits, and has met with neighbors concerned about the noise. Council Speaker Christine Quinn has not visited, but has urged even those in the business community to try to understand the sentiment that the protesters are expressing.