Michael Bloomberg may join the Democratic presidential race

Michael Bloomberg has suggested he is considering announcing his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election.

Julie Pace reported the news for the AP:

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, is opening the door to a 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, warning that the current field of candidates is ill equipped to defeat President Donald Trump.

Bloomberg, who initially ruled out a 2020 run, has not made a final decision on whether to jump into the race. If he were to launch a campaign, it could dramatically reshape the Democratic contest less than three months before primary voting begins.

The 77-year-old has spent the past few weeks talking with prominent Democrats about the state of the 2020 field, expressing concerns about the steadiness of former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign and the rise of liberal Sen. Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren, according to people with knowledge of those discussions. In recent days, he took steps to keep his options open, including moving to get on the primary ballot in Alabama ahead of the state’s Friday filing deadline.

In a statement on Thursday, Bloomberg adviser Howard Wolfson said the former mayor believes Trump “represents an unprecedented threat to our nation” and must be defeated.

The BBC wrote:

Some recent opinion polls have suggested that Ms Warren and Mr Sanders – who are regarded as to the left of Mr Biden – might lose against Republican Mr Trump if either won the party’s nomination.

So far, three Republicans have said they will challenge Mr Trump in the party’s primary contest.

But it is seen as almost impossible that anyone will take the Republican mantle from the president.

In a statement, Howard Wolfson said: “We now need to finish the job and ensure that Trump is defeated.

“But Mike is increasingly concerned that the current field of candidates is not well positioned to do that.

“Based on his record of accomplishment, leadership and his ability to bring people together to drive change, Mike would be able to take the fight to Trump and win,” Mr Wolfson said.

President Trump, 73, has so far made no public comments on the issue.

Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson and Demetri Sevastopulo from the Financial Times noted:

People close to Mr Bloomberg said he had held back from entering the race as Joe Biden, the former vice-president, remained the frontrunner. Over the past few months, however, Mr Biden has lost some of his initial steam.

Mr Biden remains ahead in national polls, followed by Elizabeth Warren and her fellow progressive senator Bernie Sanders. Pete Buttigieg, the South Bend mayor who is positioning himself as the younger, moderate alternative to Mr Biden, is in fourth place.

But in Iowa and New Hampshire — the first states where voters have seen the candidates up close — Mr Biden has lost the lead. Ms Warren is now in front with Mr Biden dropping to fourth.

Mr Bloomberg, who ran for New York mayor as a Republican, is considering entering the race as a Friday deadline to file election papers looms in Alabama. If he does so, Mr Bloomberg would be the fourth Democratic contender in their 70s.