Bloomberg Taps Dems

The muscle behind the television commercials Michael Bloomberg is using to launch his Repub lican New York City mayoral campaign last week is Squier Knapp Dunn, the Washington political consultants who worked on Al Gore’s bid for the White House, sources said.

While switching parties may be in vogue right now after last month’s decision by Sen. James Jeffords to leave the GOP, hiring Democratic consultants to work on Republican campaigns is still considered unusual.

Bill Knapp, part of a triumvirate of Gore political advisers that also included Carter Eskew and Robert Shrum, referred all calls to Bloom berg’s campaign, which did not return calls.

Advertising experts and political consultants said hiring a Democratic firm to handle ads is a shrewd move by Bloomberg, who switched to the Republican party last year.

“The upside potentially for Bloom berg is a Democratic political-consulting firm would have a better intuitive idea of how to speak to...