Where Bloomberg Fits in Election
Opportunity for Run Could Evolve
Based on How Primaries Play Out
By BEN CASSELMAN
December 13, 2007; Page A6
As Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls stumped in Iowa and New Hampshire Monday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was in China talking about entrepreneurship. The setting was different, but the goal may have been the same.
Those close to Mr. Bloomberg said the 65-year-old billionaire is considering a White House bid, despite his repeated denials. Moreover, friends and advisers said, developments make a candidacy more conceivable.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg left a press conference after delivering a speech on global warming in Bali, Indonesia, Thursday.
Shifts atop the polls for both parties in early-voting states suggest uncertainty among some voters about the current crop of candidates, while an increasingly nasty campaign could badly bruise whomever comes out on top, Mr. Bloomberg's supporters said. Gridlock in Congress could open the door for Mr. Bloomberg's nonpartisan message. At the same time, national polls show voters worrying more about the economy and less about Iraq -- a trend that plays to Mr. Bloomberg's strengths...
...One scenario -- and the one aides are hoping for -- would be a race between fellow New Yorkers Hillary Clinton and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Sen. Clinton's negative rating is the highest in either party, while Mr. Giuliani's is the highest among Republicans. That match-up could make what supporters see as Mr. Bloomberg's "above the fray" image more appealing. Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Giuliani are also seen as moderate on social issues, which could mute opposition to Mr. Bloomberg from the religious right. "If the parties nominate polarizing candidates...then there's plenty of room" for Mr. Bloomberg, independent pollster John Zogby said.
Another scenario that would provide an opening would be if both parties nominate candidates from outside the center -- John Edwards on the Democratic side, for example, or Republican Mike Huckabee, who leads polls in Iowa and is surging in national surveys. In such a case, Mr. Bloomberg would seek to appeal to moderates. "The terrain that he would look to run on is dead center of the highway," said William Cunningham, Mr. Bloomberg's first-term communications director...
...Democrat Barack Obama, whose attempt to portray himself as transcending partisan warfare is similar to Mr. Bloomberg's stance, also could pose problems for the New York mayor. When Mr. Bloomberg ate breakfast with Sen. Obama in New York last month, some interpreted the move as a signal that he won't run against the Illinois Democrat...
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119750876582325411.html?mod=hps_us_inside_todayThis article confirms what I've been thinking: that Bloomberg will run if we nominate Hillary or Edwards, but WON'T run if we nominate Obama. Something to think about, and perhaps a good reason to support Obama for those who are undecided among the top three.