Sotomayor Has Bloomberg's Vote

By Kathleen Hunter | July 16, 2009 2:17 PM | | Comments (0)

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave Sonia Sotomayor's nomination a strong endorsement this afternoon, invoking his own political background to argue that the nominee "should be supported by Republicans, Democrats and Independents."

"And I should know because I've been all three," said the mayor, an Independent who left the Republican Party in June 2007 amid speculation he was considering a presidential run. Bloomberg, who testified before the Judiciary Committee this afternoon, was a registered Democrat before he switched to the GOP to run for mayor in 2001.

Bloomberg said he recommended Sotomayor to President Obama three months ago during a White House visit to discuss infrastructure policy.

The mayor also offered a new perspective on how Sotomayor's confirmation would add diversity to the Supreme Court. The court now includes justices from the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn (Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a native) and Queens (Antonin Scalia lived there), so Sotomayor would add representation for the Bronx, where she grew up.

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