Lhota Hopes to Capitalize on Elite Dismay Over a Liberal Tilt Joseph J. Lhota, moving quickly to exploit his newfound role, spoke at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan Tuesday just after winning the Republican primary. They are startled and unsure how to react. "Terrifying," is how one banker put it. Many in New York's business and financial elite, stung by the abrupt ascent of Bill de Blasio, an unapologetic tax-the-rich liberal, are fixated on a single question: What are we going to do? The angst, emanating from charity galas and Park Avenue dinner tables, has created an unexpected political opening for Joseph J. Lhota, the Republican nominee, whose once-sleepy candidacy is now viewed by players in both parties as their last, best hope for salvaging the business-friendly government of the Bloomberg era. Even before his victory speech on Tuesday night, Mr. Lhota was moving quickly to exploit his newfound role. He planned to speak on primary night with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, whose blessing could confer credibility with the Manhattan establishment. His fund-raisers are wooing real estate and business moguls turned off by the leftist tenor of the Democratic primary campaign, and some Democratic officials have already quietly approached him to offer help. "I've heard from people who would usually be inclined to support the Democratic candidate," said an upbeat James S. Tisch, the chief executive of the Loews Corporation and a finance chairman of Mr. Lhota's campaign, as he greeted well-wishers at a breakfast fund-raiser that attracted 200 guests - both Democrats and Republicans - on Monday. Even if Democrats hold a runoff election, Mr. de Blasio's commanding finish in the primary Tuesday night means that his liberal message could well dominate that intraparty contest, leaving Mr. Lhota likely to face a left-leaning opponent in November. Mr. Lhota knows he has to make a convincing case: he has struggled to connect on the campaign trail, where his semi-ironic humor does not always translate, and he occasionally needs to be reminded to talk to people at parades. But he brings an easy charm and a commanding knowledge of municipal government, having served as a chief lieutenant to Rudolph W. Giuliani and overseen the region's sprawling transportation network. Fund-raising is an immediate priority, after a lackluster effort in the primary. But Mr. Lhota believes a matchup with a left-leaning Democrat will provide him with the starkest possible contrast between his brand of no-nonsense, Bloomberg-style management and a liberal who can be depicted as more focused on ideology than competence. "Over the next two months, New Yorkers will see two completely different visions for the future of our city," Mr. Lhota told cheering supporters on Tuesday evening, before launching into a searing criticism of Mr. de Blasio's "tale of two cities" mantra. "This tale is nothing more than class warfare," Mr. Lhota said. It's this kind of thinking that brought our city to the brink of bankruptcy and rampant civic decay. In the days ahead, Mr. Lhota will seek to exploit weaknesses that he believes were rarely revealed during the Democratic contest, when the like-minded candidates often differed on tactics rather than substance. He plans to cast his opponent as a naïve ideologue who would send the city back to the ruinous days of the last Democratic administration, that of David N. Dinkins, where Mr. de Blasio got his start in government. And Mr. Lhota will emphasize his support of the stop-and-frisk police tactic. But as Mr. Lhota seeks to secure support, Mr. de Blasio, aware that his rhetoric has unsettled powerful people, has quietly been in touch with several establishment figures recently, including Rob Speyer, the chairman of the Real Estate Board of New York, and the financier Steven Rattner. Both men have close ties to Mr. Bloomberg, and supported the campaign of Christine C. Quinn in the Democratic primary. In some of these conversations, Mr. de Blasio has played down his unabashedly liberal positions, pointing out that no public-sector union has endorsed him, and saying that he would represent the wealthy as well as the 99 percent if elected mayor, according to people familiar with the discussions. But the outreach by Mr. de Blasio has not kept Mr. Lhota's team from receiving a deluge of calls in recent weeks. Disaffected Democrats have reached out, Mr. Tisch said, expressing concerns that Mr. de Blasio would be a "destructive" figure in a city accustomed to a business-friendly mayor. "My phone has been ringing," said Mr. Tisch, a Democrat who has backed such party stalwarts as Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand. Still, he noted, Mr. Lhota has work to do. "The first question they ask is, "Can Lhota win?" " Mr. Tisch said. "When they hear "yes," then they're interested."