Bloomberg leaves GOP

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced Tuesday he is leaving the Republican party and registering as unaffiliated, ratcheting up speculation that he will run as an independent presidential candidate next year.

Bloomberg said he has filed papers with the New York City Board of Elections to change his party status and announced the change in a statement.

{mosads}“Although my plans for the future haven’t changed, I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead the city,” the statement said.

Bloomberg said a nonpartisan approach has worked wonders in New York, where he said budgets have been balanced and the economy has grown. “We have achieved real progress by overcoming the partisanship that too often puts narrow interests above the common good,” Bloomberg said.

As a political independent, Bloomberg said he would continue to work with people in both parties to find common ground and achieve real solutions to challenges.

Bloomberg, a former Democrat, self-financed two mayoral campaigns in New York, and is seen as a candidate who could pay his own way in a presidential race.