What an absolute horrifying thought, Bloomberg for President. He has done so much damage to the city, could you imagine what kind of a socialist hell he would bring to the White House… No Thanks.
From the Big Apple, Fruitless Bids at Higher Office
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision to leave the Republican Party and become “unaffiliated” sparked quite a bit of excitement — which fed into the speculation that he might run for president (see last week’s column). But many seem to have forgotten the track record of NYC mayors who have attempted to gain higher office in the past.
As Don Ritchie, the associate Senate historian, points out, “Since the creation of Greater New York in 1898 (when the boroughs merged), no mayor of the city has ever been elected to higher office – governor, senator or president – and not for lack of trying.”
Of course, not every mayor has had a half-billion dollars at his disposal to make the effort. Certainly Rudy Giuliani, a former mayor seeking the Republican presidential nomination, doesn’t have that kind of pocket change. But it is worth noting the “0-for” record of the mayors who tried to move up.
Ed Koch (D) – mayor 1978-89
Koch was the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic nomination for governor in 1982. But his chances took a nosedive when an interview he conducted with Playboy magazine in December of ‘81 – before he decided to run for governor – appeared on the newsstands shortly after he announced his gubernatorial bid. In it, he discounted the thought of running for governor, calling it a “terrible position, and besides, it requires living in Albany, which is small-town life at its worst.” As for life outside the city, Koch said, “Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It’s sterile. It’s wasting your life.” What about rural America? “A joke,” Koch said. The interview got wide play when he launched his run for governor. And his opponent in the primary, Mario Cuomo – who had lost to Koch in a bitter 1977 Democratic mayoral primary, runoff, and general election – was delighted. He defeated Koch 52 percent-48 percent.
John Lindsay (R, then D) – mayor 1966-73
Lindsay, like Koch, was a liberal congressman from Manhattan before becoming mayor. He was touted as a potential vice-presidential pick in 1968 (in fact, Lindsay was the one who nominated Spiro Agnew at the convention). But Lindsay proved to be vastly unpopular with Republican voters, and he lost the GOP primary for re-nomination in 1969; still, he managed to win a second term running as a Liberal in a general election where two conservatives split the anti-Lindsay vote. In 1971, Lindsay switched to the Democratic Party, where he mounted an improbable bid for his new party’s presidential nomination. read more–>
