The move is not entirely unexpected, since Quart has the benefit of a huge registration advantage  in the race against Republican Paul Niehaus. Bloomberg had previously endorsed the Democrat who held the seat, Jonathan Bing, who went to take a job in the Cuomo administration.

Bloomberg's own 79th street townhouse townhouses are in the Assembly district

In a letter passed along to The Politicker, Dan Isaacs, the Manhattan Republican Party chairman, who has been pushing Niehaus hard, laments the independent mayor's "poor judgment" and accuses him of "trying to put his stamp on electing his chosen Democrats to office."

Full letter below:

Dear Members of the Executive Committee:

I am writing to let you know that I received a call from Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson earlier today to advise me that Mayor Bloomberg will endorse the Democrat in the Special Election for the vacant Assembly seat in the 73^rd Assembly District.

Although not entirely surprised, I am extremely disappointed in the Mayor’s decision.  Given how the Mayor elevated the profile of Speaker Christine Quinn seemingly to that of a “Vice Mayor” during this weekend’s storm, it has become apparent that he is proactively trying to put his stamp on electing his chosen Democrats to office.  Mr. Wolfson even acknowledged that the decision was not based on the merits of the candidates.

This is not an obstacle in the race and our campaign strategy remains unchanged.  In Paul Niehaus, we have the strongest and most qualified candidate to represent the district.  Notwithstanding the Mayor’s poor judgment, we are 100% committed to this candidacy.  The voters of this district know that quality counts above all else and will elect Paul to the Assembly two weeks from today.  I look forward to seeing each of you at Paul’s fundraiser tonight and over these next 14 days in the campaign headquarters.

Sincerely,

Daniel W. Isaacs

Chairman

New York Republican County Committee

Perry is coming to New York City next week to keynote the Manhattan Republican Party's annual Lincoln Day Dinner And according to one party source, he will spend part of his time in the big city meeting with big-time Republican donors.
Perry is slated to attend a lunch at the law office of Trip Dorkey, a major Republican donor and the chairman of the Hudson River Park trust. The other slated attendees include Peter Lau, who gave $20,000 to Republican candidates and causes last year, one-time mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, former National Black Republican Council Chair Bob Williams, Fox pundit Stephen B. Meister and New York G.O.P. finance committee chairman Matthew Mellon.

As Reid Pillifant wrote a few months ago, major Republican donors in New York remain largely uncommitted; if Perry performs well with this crowd, could it encourage him to get in the race?

Well, the party goes on, as they say, and Isaacs has landed a pretty formidable back-up: Texas Governor (and possible presidential candidate) Rick Perry.

In a statement, Issacs takes pains to say that his home state would be better off if someone like Perry was running things.

"Governor Perry is the perfect example that we in New York should be looking to," he said.
"At a time when New York ranks at or near the bottom among states in every important metric, Texas is leading the way.  By focusing on keeping taxes low and fostering a fair legal and regulatory environment, Governor Perry has helped Texas attract business and residents at a time when New York has been hemorrhaging both.  As a result, Texas will gain four seats during next year’s congressional reapportionment when New York will lose two.”

The release also includes praise for Isaacs from New York State G.O.P. chairman Ed Cox, which is noteworthy because Isaacs has been mentioned as a potential challenger to Cox when his term ends later this year.

Said Cox, who is also serving as a speaker at the event, "Governor Perry’s attendance at the New York County Republican Dinner proves that New York is still the center of the universe, for politics and otherwise.  I congratulate Dan for bringing him to New York and look forward to helping him give Governor Perry a rousing welcome to the Big Apple.”

Perry has been flirting with a presidential run for awhile, and has recently sent particularly strong signals that he will jump into what is widely regarded as a weak Republican field.