Michael Bloomberg is, once again, not running for president.
The 77-year-old former New York City mayor said in a Tuesday afternoon statement that even though he believes he could defeat President Donald Trump, he will not seek the Democratic nomination.
“I believe I would defeat Donald Trump in a general election,” he wrote. “But I am clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field.”
Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, had been toying with the idea of a presidential run for months and was floated as a candidate in every presidential cycle going back to 2008. Facing a packed field of Democratic contenders, Bloomberg, 77, wrote he was “clear-eyed” about the obstacles to securing the party’s nomination.
The longtime figure in American politics, who has identified as a Republican, a Democrat and an independent at different points in his career, acknowledged the skepticism he was facing from members of the progressive wing of the Democratic party, but wrote that he was confident about what his prospects would have been against President Donald Trump should he have been victorious in the primary.
“I know what it takes to run a winning campaign, and every day when I read the news, I grow more frustrated by the incompetence in the Oval Office. I know we can do better as a country. And I believe I would defeat Donald Trump in a general election,” Bloomberg wrote. “But I am clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination in such a crowded field.”
The statement appeared as an opinion article with the headline “Our Highest Office, My Deepest Obligation,” that was carried on Bloomberg News, a news platform that is a part of Bloomberg’s business empire.
Bloomberg’s ties to the financial services industry, his sprawling wealth and his past statements on issues including policing tactics and the Me Too movement, among other areas, appeared to be potential liabilities in a primary that has seen a host of candidates vying for the party’s increasingly left-leaning base.
“Many people have urged me to run. Some have told me that to win the Democratic nomination, I would need to change my views to match the polls,” Bloomberg wrote. “But I’ve been hearing that my whole political career.”
No comments