Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering a 2016 independent presidential campaign, vowing to spend a $1 billion of his own cash, according to The New York Times.
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Bloomberg served three terms as mayor of NY, beginning in 2001.
Despite his vast resources, Bloomberg would face tough odds if he chose to enter the race.
This is not the first time that Bloomberg has flirted with a presidential run.
Bloomberg’s campaigns against sugar-laden sodas and his efforts to stem gun violence would likely attract voters who lean toward Democrats, potentially stripping votes from that party’s eventual nominee.
A spokesman for the former mayor declined to comment.
Daniel Donovan, a New York Republican who is a friend and golfing partner of Mr Bloomberg, said many voters “who aren’t totally satisfied with any of the people who are running right now, would welcome a Mike Bloomberg candidacy”. Bernie Sanders of Vermont on the Democratic side.
Bloomberg is also rumored to have commissioned a poll over the month of December to gauge how well he stacks up against respective party front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
This source, however, did not discuss the poll’s findings.
Bloomberg has fostered presidential aspirations before.
“I just worry about doing my thing and we’ll see what happens”.
“As a lifelong Democrat, as a former party chairman, it would be very hard for me to do that”, he said. He had first been a Democrat, then a Republican, and now declares himself an independent.
Though no third-party candidate has ever claimed the White House, several prior runs have greatly impacted the trajectory of the race, most recently Texas’ businessman Ross Perot’s 1992 third party run, which some still insist paved the way for Bill Clinton to knock off GOP incumbent George W. Bush. He waited until November to endorse President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012, citing climate change in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
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Lately, he has earned conservatives’ ire with his push for greater gun control, and the National Rifle Association launched an ad campaign over the summer accusing him of using his personal fortune to try and strip people of their individual rights and freedoms.
