Charter school big Eva Moskowitz may have to switch parties if she wants to run for mayor
Charter school phenom Eva Moskowitz would have to switch her party registration to run for mayor in 2017 because she is persona non grata to the city Democratic establishment.
Moskowitz has violated orthodoxy by building a non-union network, and attacking Bill de Blasio in bitter tone and terms along the way.
In a Democratic primary, the party’s liberal wing and labor would crush her. Her only hope of knocking off de Blasio requires jumping the Democratic ship.
Then, in a general election, the going would get tough.
Her strengths? She’s driven by missionary zeal. The kids in her schools post undeniably impressive test results. She’d have a message on education that is as focused as Rudy Giuliani had on crime.
De Blasio may be polling well among blacks and Latinos, but he’s struggling mightily among whites.
She can offer herself as a competent executive of a large organization — a selling point to voters who doubt de Blasio’s management chops.
Moskowitz could also command the support of the same wealthy donors who back Success, not to mention Bloombergian school reform offshoot groups, Families for Excellent Schools and Students First.
But that has a downside: In a city that leans really liberal, it’s one thing to be a self-made billionaire and philanthropist. It’s another to be seen as doing the bidding of a super-wealthy cabal of “hedge-fund reformers.”Eva Moskowitz will have tough time running for mayor - NY Daily News:
