Bo Dietl, a private eye and supporter of incoming president Donald Trump, is running for mayor of New York City against Bill de Blasio, the city’s Democratic mayor, who is seeking reelection.
The conservative pundit has appeared on Fox News and other outlets in support of Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that despite that, Dietl applied to run as a Democrat.
In the city, Trump lost four out of five boroughs in the presidential election, the Journal reported.
"It's impossible to see what the path is. That said, he might be the guy people are talking about in a bar,” according to Republican strategist Jessica Proud.
The former police detective has appeared on TV and movies, including Arby’s commercials and in Martin Scorsese movies such as "Goodfellas."
A New York City election board spokeswoman pointed out that Dietl is facing some difficulty in joining the primary. She told the Journal that Dietl was not a registered Democrat when he applied to run in the 2017 primary; he recently registered with both that party and the Independence party, which canceled both registrations.
The private eye's supporters are attempting to get him on the Democratic ballot but they would need approval from Democratic county leaders to run in the party’s primary.
"He has a better chance of getting struck by lightning on a sunny day," Brooklyn Democratic leader Frank Seddio told the Journal.
Dietl said he is a friend to policemen who aims to keep New York streets safe.
"Maybe I don’t have a college degree, but I have a doctorate of the streets," he said in the Journal report.
Said a de Blasio spokesman to the WSJ: "Under Mayor de Blasio, crime just hit another all-time low. We are happy to match that record against anyone."
Allies of Trump have backed Dietl. Conservative commentator Sean Hannity called him the "quintessential New Yorker," and Anthony Scaramucci, Trump transition aide, said he might help Dietl with fundraising soon.
The former investigator provided security for Trump when the real-estate mogul owned the General Motors building in the 1990s, and when Trump ran for president, he said, “I’m going to bank on crazy Donald.”
Dietl has been considering a run against de Blasio for years. In January 2015, he said, "If it was head-to-head, him and I, let's go to the old tape. I'll debate him, I'll bring him down in a headlock real quick."
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