The 2016 presidential field could get a little more crowded.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering
launching a third-party bid for the White House, NBC News confirmed Saturday.
Bloomberg would likely only run if either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz was the
Republican nominee and Bernie Sanders the Democratic nominee, according to a
source familiar with Bloomberg's thinking.
The New York Times first reported news of Bloomberg's
potential campaign. Bloomberg, who amassed great wealth from his eponymous
financial services company, is willing to spend a whopping $1 billion on a
campaign, according to the report.
He has reportedly set a deadline to decide
on a campaign for March, making the results of the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses
important for the former mayor. A Hillary Clinton win in Iowa would stymie
Sanders' prospects for the nomination.
Bloomberg reportedly commissioned a poll late last year to
gauge interest in a potential run.
According to the Times, he would commission
another poll after the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary to determine
whether he could launch a viable campaign in 2016.
Bloomberg told NBC News' Chuck Todd in October that he was very flattered people would ask him about running for president,
but he didn't tip his hand on a decision.
The truth of the matter is I'm
very happy doing two things: running my company and working with the United
Nations and with the U.S. government on climate change, Bloomberg said in
a joint interview with Secretary of State John Kerry.
If he were to run, Bloomberg would join a crowded field.
Trump and Cruz have dominated the conversation on the Republican side, and the
two candidates are dunking it out as the first nominating contests near.
Many
establishment Republican figures have come out against Cruz, whose divisive
political tactics have irked some on the right.
On the Democratic side, the race is unexpectedly close
between Clinton and Sanders. Clinton entered the race as the prohibitive
front-runner, but Sanders has proved competitive in Iowa and New Hampshire, as
the Vermont independent senator has attracted big crowds at his rallies.
The source told NBC News that Bloomberg - who has mulled a
White House bid in the past - would like to be president, but he doesn't want
to launch a campaign if there's no foreseeable path to victory.
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