Billionaire Former N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg Eyeing Possible White House Bid

Sources close to Bloomberg told The New York Times that he is considering mounting an independent bid for the White House because he is annoyed with the meteoric rise of Republican Donald Trump, the shortcomings of Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton and the success of Sen. But according to the New York Times report, the volatile 2016 campaign has changed his calculus.

Unidentified sources informed about the ex-mayor’s intentions say that Bloomberg, who has a large fortune, is ready to spend up to $1 billion to launch his electoral campaign. He had first been a Democrat, then a Republican, and now declares himself an independent.

Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler welcomed a possible Bloomberg candidacy bid, saying the former mayor’s controversial positions would be easy to run against. “At one point, he concluded it just couldn’t be done”, said one Bloomberg friend, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivities involved.

The source added that Bloomberg sees the Republican and Democratic presidential races as becoming increasingly polarized, and neither fits Bloomberg’s views.

OH governor and Republican presidential hopeful John Kasich told CNN in New Hampshire Saturday that he isn’t worrying about Bloomberg’s plans, but added that he likes the mayor.

Many are saying that the fact that Bloomberg is even considering a run is bad news for Hillary Clinton, who has seen her poll numbers take quite a bit of a hit in recent weeks.

He has set a March deadline to decide on whether to enter the race, believing that doing so any later would not allow him access to the ballot in all 50 states, they said.

Bloomberg has explored the possibility before, always making a pragmatic calculation of whether winning is feasible.

Michael Bloomberg has lamented what he considers Mrs. Clinton’s lurch to the left in her contest against Mr. Sanders, especially her criticism of charter schools and other education reforms that he pushed as mayor and has continued to support since leaving office. He delivered a powerful late endorsement of President Barack Obama’s re-election effort, though he’s been known to criticize the president personally in private conversations.