Former NYC Mayor Bloomberg Files Paperwork to Run For President

 By Albert Sebastian

After publicly toying with the idea for many years, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is laying the groundwork for a presidential run. The billionaire founder of financial, software and media company Bloomberg L.P. has reportedly not reached a final decision on whether to be a contender, but plans to enter the Alabama Democratic primary because it has the earliest filing deadline — November 8 — for appearing on the ballot.Bloomberg, a former Republican, would be one of the most moderate candidates in a Democratic field that has moved leftward thanks to the progressive politics of candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Repeated missteps by one-time front-runner Joe Biden, as well as his inability to raise as much money as his main rivals, has led to anxiety among the Democratic establishment that a candidate who is deemed “too liberal” to win the general election will be nominated. Bloomberg, who is socially liberal but economically centrist, would represent a direct challenge to Biden’s hold over the centrist wing of the party. However, Bloomberg faces many questions about the viability of his candidacy in the current political climate. The septuagenarian would be the second-oldest major candidate in the presidential race, drawing the same questions as Joe Biden as to whether he is too old for the office. In addition, his wealth means that he would be subject to the withering criticism Sanders and Warren have leveled against others of his economic status. In fact, Sanders has already weighed in on Bloomberg’s possible run, saying that “the billionaire class is scared and they should be scared.” While Biden has an established base of support among minority and working-class communities, it is unclear whether Bloomberg can build that same appeal, especially given his late entry into the race. Bloomberg has also been attacked for the tough-on-crime approach to law enforcement that he took while mayor. He was (and remains) a prominent advocate for the practice of stop-and-frisk policing, which has been criticized for racially profiling African-Americans and Latinos and has not been proven to significantly lower the crime rate. Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether Bloomberg, who has considered running in every election from 2008 to the present, is ready to take the decisive plunge into the race. Given that there are only two Democratic debates remaining this year, Bloomberg would face hurdles in reaching the polling and donation qualifications necessary to participate. Although he does have significant name recognition, he would have to quickly build a broad-based coalition of supporters and prove himself to be electable in the general election to have a shot at being the nominee. Even so, Bloomberg’s entry would prove to be a major shake-up of the Democratic field.Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/us/politics/michael-bloomberg-president.htmlhttps://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/07/bloomberg-preparing-to-file-for-alabama-presidential-primary-000322https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/11/08/just-when-you-thought-he-was-out-mike-bloomberg-pulls-himself-back/