Former Bloomberg Ally Leaves GOP Before NYC Mayor Race

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's former deputy left the Republican Party as he considers a run to replace Mayor Eric Adams this year, sources told Politico on Friday.

Ed Skyler, former deputy mayor for operations under Bloomberg and now a Citigroup executive, recently changed his party affiliation from Republican to independent just before the deadline to register with the New York City Board of Elections, a possible indicator that he intends to run for mayor of New York according to Politico.

As an independent, Skyler could wait until after the Republican and Democrat primaries this summer to launch a campaign.

Howard Wolfson, also a former deputy mayor under Bloomberg, told Politico: "I have a lot of respect for Republicans who have chosen to change their registration, become independents or become Democrats as a result of the extreme drift of the Republican Party. It speaks a lot of him that he is one of those people."

Wolfson added that running as a member of the GOP in New York City, where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans and independents by a 2-1 margin, is "an obvious challenge."

Wolfson described Skyler as "just one of the most highly competent people that I've encountered in and out of government. At a time when the city is really desperate for honest, top-notch, non-ideological management, he is someone who has demonstrated an ability to do that at the very highest level."

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