Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been, or possibly hasn’t been, flirting with a presidential run for a for the last three election cycles.
It’s tough to separate truth from fiction. In October 2015, The Atlantic Monthly detailed the long history of rumors and chatter since 2006:
The reasons are always the same: Business interests want somebody who’s run a big business (not that that correlates with successful presidency); who can self-fund a campaign; and who will be fiscally conservative, unlike most Democrats, but socially moderate, unlike most Republicans. There’s never been any sort of genuine, broad-based push from outside the Acela corridor for a Bloomberg candidacy.
Regardless, the story goes, “Bloomberg always says no. And he’s been saying no for a long time” (although that’s not always been the case).
Are things different in 2016? Will he run? Bloomberg again seems interested and, like some Vice President Biden, Jim Webb, and maybe a few others, he reportedly sees a path to victory should the primaries end up pitting Bernie Sanders against either Ted Cruz or Donald Trump.
Lots of moving parts. I like Bloomberg, and I hope he runs, but a lot has to happen in order for him to jump in the race. (This includes Joseph Biden not running.) Look for more news from Bloomberg after the South Carolina primary, which is late this month. For now, I think he’s simply leaving the door open – as he’s been doing for years.