Michael Bloomberg May Run As An Independent

Despite a fairly crowded political field and the constant difficulties of a third party, there appears to be one prominent politician considering a bid for the presidency. Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg may run as an independent and has reportedly requested that his advisers come up with a game plan. A former Democrat who switched parties in 2001 prior to running for mayor, Bloomberg disavowed the GOP in 2007 while still overseeing the city of New York. The politician moved to being entirely unaffiliated, thus it makes perfect sense for Bloomberg to potentially seek election as an independent.

The business magnate is one of the richest people in the world, though his impressive wealth may be the only thing he shares in common with GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Sources close to Bloomberg state that he is disapproving of the Donald, hinting at disdain for Ted Cruz as well. He holds similarly troubled views for candidates on the left. Bloomberg is reportedly worried by Bernie Sanders' rise in popularity and shows similar concerns for Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton's campaign, which appears to be falling flat as of late. Although these views certainly show a willingness to shake things up this election season, it certainly isn't the first indication of Bloomberg's presidential aspirations.

Bloomberg commissioned a poll in December seeking to gauge how he'd do by running as an independent candidate in the face of the current crop of presidential hopefuls. He is reportedly conducting another poll, to be released shortly after the New Hampshire primary which takes place on Feb. 9. The former NYC mayor had previously looked into running for president in 2008 though ultimately never entered the race. This time, however, he appears to be far more serious and is rumored to be willing to spend up to $1 billion of his own money to finance his efforts.

A campaign plan has reportedly already been floated should Bloomberg choose to run. The potential candidate would release videos of long, detailed speeches introducing voters to his policies, followed by a massive ad campaign. Given the fact that the Iowa Caucus is a mere week and a half away, Bloomberg may need to make a decision fast. Time is running out for the politician to decide to mount a presidential bid. Information has yet to be released about how Bloomberg fared in that initial poll, though it may very well have been promising enough to warrant a campaign announcement sooner rather than later. Nonetheless, Bloomberg has yet to make a formal statement about his current exploration into running for president.