Tale of two mayors

By Contributor Archive

Filed Under Race for White House 2008 on Jan 19 

While much of the attention in the media lately has gone to former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, another mayor could soon make a much bigger splash in the presidential race. Current NYC mayor, media mogul and multi-billionaire Michael Bloomberg has long been rumored to be considering an independent run for the White House in 2008.

In addition to having the financial means to run a campaign that would put Ross Perot to shame, Bloomberg also finds himself at the height of his mayoral popularity. The socially liberal, fiscally conservative Republican has weathered the storm surrounding the Sean Bell shooting, and as a recent Quinnipiac poll discovered , has faired bettered than America’s Mayor had under similar circumstances:

“When the name of Sean Bell joined Amadou Diallo in the unhappy history of police mistakes – or misconduct, take your pick – New Yorkers’ view of race relations was dramatically different: We see a positive picture with Mayor Bloomberg in City Hall in 2007; we saw it as negative with Mayor Giuliani in 1999,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

“The job-approval contrast between Bloomberg and Giuliani takes us back to the contentious days before Giuliani’s 9-11 heroics earned him the title of ‘America’s mayor,’” Carroll added. “Bloomberg’s approval is stratospherically high, including 69 – 18 percent among black voters. Giuliani’s overall approval was negative, with black voters giving him a negative 12 – 76 percent rating.

This is an encouraging sign for Bloomberg, whose check book and independent appeal would make him an immediate factor in 2008, and a constant migraine headache for the rest of the presidential field.

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