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Since 2007, New Yorkers have enjoyed a quasi-independent mayor in Michael Bloomberg.
Prior to 2001, Bloomberg identified as a Democrat. He switched his registration in 2001 to run for mayor on the Republican ticket which he continued to run on throughout his first two elections. Then, in 2007, Bloomberg switched his party yet again and ran as an independent candidate in his third race for NYC mayor in 2009.
While no third party has quite the same name recognition or financial acumen, the 2013 NYC mayoral race promises to be full of choices for independent voters in the city who have waited 12 years for a chance to vote a new face into office.
While Republicans and Democrats have put forth a number of options for voters, including, George McDonald, Anthony Weiner, and Christine Quinn, independents also have a host of candidates on the ballot like Aldofo Carrión Jr. for the Independence Party.
For example, the Conservative Party has endorsed Joseph J. Lhota, who also received the libertarian nomination. Lhota is the former chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority and worked in the administration of Rudy Giuliani. Even though he is running from an independent party platform, Lhota has struggled to define himself apart from Giuliani’s legacy.
Meanwhile, Antony Gronowicz, an activist and professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, is following a failed 2005 bid for mayor with another 2013 run on the Green Party ticket. He is running on a platform of guaranteeing the right to a decent education, the right to unconditional health care, and the right to have the safety and security of affordable housing.
The Working Families Party has not yet nominated a candidate, but potentially will endorse Bill de Blasio, a New York City Public Advocate, John Liu, the current NYC comptroller, or Christine Quinn.
Other minor party candidate potentials include the Liberal Party’s John Catsimatidis, Reform Party’s Carl Person, Rent is Too Damn High’s Jimmy McMillan, and even Tony Danza and Eliot Spitzer have been floated as possibilities on the independent tickets.
While Michael Bloomberg claimed independence after serving in office for two terms, these candidates offer multiple and varied options for New York City voters. Christine Quinn currently leads the polls, but the race is far from over. The heat of the campaign is yet to come and the multiplicity of candidates promise an interesting race.
