Washington (CNN)Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is seriously considering a possible independent presidential run and is looking at making a decision sometime in March, two sources familiar with Bloomberg’s thinking told CNN on Saturday.
One source said aides to the three-term mayor are looking at ballot access issues, but the source refused to speak specifically about what Bloomberg, 73, asked to be done.
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at [email protected].
Thank you.
The source added that Bloomberg sees the Republican and Democratic presidential races as becoming increasingly polarized, and neither fits Bloomberg’s views. But Bloomberg, who has flirted with Oval Office aspirations in the past, is serious about a possible candidacy, the source insisted.
A decision will have to be made by the first week of March, likely before it’s clear who the Democratic and Republican nominees are, because of the process to get on ballots for the November election.
A spokesman for the former mayor declined to comment.
News of Bloomberg’s consideration was first reported Saturday morning by The New York Times, which said the media mogul would be willing to spend $1 billion of his own money on a White House bid.
Read the full story at CNN, by Kevin Bohn, Jake Tapper and Karl de Vries