In 2006, Dr. Fulani filed an Exploratory Committee with the Campaign Finance Board. She said she “has been meeting with individuals and various groups throughout the city in order to assess the viability of a campaign.” Dr. Fulani has not yet made a decision, but said if she did run, it would be on the Independence Party line.
The possibility of Dr. Fulani running for Mayor adds to those already in contention: NYC Comptroller William Thompson, who continued his candidacy even after Mayor Bloomberg signed a repeal of term limits; Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, whose name is being floated to join the Obama administration; State Senator Eric Adams, who has suggested he might run for the office if Thompson decided not to; and NYC Council member Tony Avella, who has advocated a variety of reforms within the Council.
Dr. Fulani was instrumental in introducing Michael Bloomberg to minority communities in NYC. Her “Bloomberg on C” campaign gave minorities (who otherwise might have been resistant to vote for Bloomberg on the Republican line) the opportunity to vote for him on the Independent Party line. Dr. Fulani brought together elected officials and community organizers from throughout the city under the name Coalition of Outsiders, which assisted the Independence Party in getting out the vote for Bloomberg.
On Election Night, Dr. Fulani reflected on Mayor Bloomberg's decision to sign the law allowing him to run for a third term, saying “I think it's an outrage, an insult, and obscene. The people had already determined what we had wanted. If he wanted to change it, and do it in good faith, he would have put it back on the ballot, and we would have had a referendum. Not doing that is like a slap in the face of the people who invested in him, because he was going to be different. I think it is a real betrayal of people who trusted him.” If Mayor Bloomberg sought the Independence Party's endorsement, or to run on the Independence line, “He has to come with some major, major, major changes. He had to go beyond where he is. As far as I am concerned, he should change his mind.”