Questions
1. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made headlines last week when he switched from Republican to Independent. Who was the last New York mayor to switch parties while in office?
2. Supporters of liberal Bloomberg have suggested he will run for President as an Independent. Who was the last major candidate to run for President as an Independent?
3. What two mayors of New York were elected running on neither the Democratic nor Republican ticket?
4. Bloomberg won both of his terms as mayor running as a Republican. Who was the last Democrat to be elected mayor of New York?
5. Who was the last person elected President as neither a Democrat nor Republican?
Answers
1. John Lindsay, who switched from Republican to Democrat in 1971.
2. Ross Perot in 1992. (In 1996, Perot ran on the ticket of the Reform Party.)
3. Vincent R. Impellitteri, elected on the “Experience Party” ticket in 1950, and Lindsay, elected on the Liberal Party ticket after losing the Republican primary in 1969.
4. David Dinkins in 1989 (Republican Rudy Giuliani served from 1993-2001, followed by Bloomberg).
5. Zachary Taylor, who won as a Whig in 1848 and died in office in 1850.
