Michael Bloomberg for president? Billionaire keeps options open with bid for Democratic primary in Alabama

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has the money and name recognition to shake up the Democratic presidential race, but he will face huge hurdles to the nomination if he makes the leap to become a formal candidate. The billionaire media mogul is laying the groundwork for a possible candidacy in the 2020 US presidential election and kept his options open by filing paperwork on Friday to run in the Democratic primary in Alabama, which has an early deadline for ballot qualification. The decision to run would be an about-face for Bloomberg, 77, who announced in March that he would not seek the White House. Analysts say a Bloomberg candidacy could do the most damage to the prospects of Democratic front runner Joe Biden, but the former vice-president put on a brave face on Friday and said he was not worried that Bloomberg would draw away centrist voters. Ex-New York mayor Michael Bloomberg preparing to launch presidential campaign: reports Responding to Bloomberg’s move on Friday, President Donald Trump dismissed the possible threat. “Little Michael will fail,” Trump told reporters in a reference to the stature of the 1.73m (5ft, 8in) Bloomberg. “He doesn’t have the magic to do well. “There’s nobody I’d rather run against than little Michael,” Trump added. “He’s not going to do well but I think he’s going to hurt Biden actually.” Biden, who will also turn 77 on November 20, has placed himself in the political centre with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren run to his left. “Michael’s a solid guy,” Biden told reporters in Concord, New Hampshire, while registering to take part in the February primary in the northeastern state. “I have no, no problem with him getting in the race,” Biden said. “And in terms of he’s running because of me, last polls I looked at I’m pretty far ahead. “If I’m not mistaken I’m doing pretty well, both relative to Trump and relative to all the people running,” he said. Bloomberg’s name was posted among 17 candidates on the Alabama Democratic Party’s website only hours before registration closed. Alabama is not one of the early primaries but it has the earliest deadline to register. Ranked by Forbes as the eighth-richest American with an estimated worth of US$53.4 billion, Bloomberg’s potential bid also drew criticism that he was just another wealthy businessman trying to buy an election. Bloomberg also will face questions about his record as a three-term mayor of New York, particularly from the Democratic Party’s vocal progressive wing, and about why he is needed in a race that still has 17 candidates vying to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in November 2020. “There is no constituency for Michael Bloomberg that isn’t already taken by one of the candidates who are already running,” said Charles Chamberlain, chair of the Vermont-based progressive group Democracy for America. But Bloomberg is sceptical that any of the current candidates can beat Trump, according to a spokesman. Opinion polls show three contenders battling at the top of the Democratic race: US Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who lead the progressive wing, and moderate Joe Biden, the former vice-president. Bloomberg has been critical of Warren and her desire to institute a tax on the super-wealthy, which she would use to fund programmes ranging from universal health care to free college tuition. Biden, meanwhile, has turned in uneven debate performances and lagged behind his top rivals in fundraising. Bloomberg would likely seek to appeal to the same moderate voters drawn to Biden. “It’s almost like he’s running because this billionaire wants to stop Elizabeth Warren,” Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist who advises progressive groups and labour unions, said of Bloomberg. “It’s lousy for Joe Biden but great for Elizabeth Warren.” US presidential contender among 3 more senators supporting Hong Kong bill Public opinion polls show most Democrats do not share Bloomberg’s dissatisfaction with the contenders. A Monmouth University poll taken in late October and early November found three-fourths of Democrats were satisfied with their choice of candidates and just 16 per cent wanted someone else. Kyle Kondik, of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said a Bloomberg run could conceivably draw support away from Biden but it remains to be seen how much backing he’ll receive in a crowded field. “At first blush, yes, one might think Bloomberg would hurt Biden more than others,” Kondik said. “But we have to remember that sometimes voters don’t fit neatly into ideological categories. “While neither is running hard to the left and both are older white men, voters might perceive key differences between them,” Kondik said. “Bloomberg has to actually show he can draw significant support in order to hurt Biden.”