Bloomberg Mulls Independent Run For President

Yesterday the New York Times reported that former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has commissioned a poll to assess his chances in a three-way race against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. From New York Magazine:

Some pundits have speculated that a Trump nomination would leave most white-collar Republicans looking for a less gauche representative of their interests. But it’s hard to see how Bloomberg would fit that bill. Although he’s no economic populist, the billionaire is a champion of government regulation, whose crusade against the Super Big Gulp will never be forgotten.

A longtime Democrat, Bloomberg became a Republican to avoid a difficult primary when he ran for New York’s mayoralty in 2001. He seriously contemplated an independent run for president in 2008, but abandoned his efforts early, saying later that he couldn’t see a path to an electoral win. In 2012, he endorsed Barack Obama’s reelection, citing the president’s strong support for action on climate change.

Bloomberg is worth an estimated $37 billion.