Ex-New York Mayor Bloomberg confirms eying presidential bid
By Associated Press | February 8, 2016, 19:38 EST
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NEW YORK – Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he is considering mounting an independent campaign for president. His statement bolstered earlier reports that he had commissioned research to study a possible independent bid.
Bloomberg told the Financial Times, a London-based newspaper, on Monday that he was “looking at all the options” when it comes to a bid.
The billionaire businessman said he found the current campaign to be “an insult to the voters.”
It’s the first time he has acknowledged a possible run.
People close to the New Yorker floated the idea last month that the former mayor could fill a gap in the center of the political spectrum.
Bloomberg is said to be distressed by the rise of Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz among Republicans and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders among Democrats.
Bloomberg was a Democrat before becoming a Republican to run for mayor in 2001. He then became an independent.
After leaving City Hall, he returned to managing his own fiscal affairs, including foundation s he established to donate some of his estimated $39 billion fortune. But he soon returned to the helm of his eponymous company, which has earned billions serving Wall Street banks and other investment firms and professionals.