Bloomberg readying for a run at White House

Toby Harnden
London Telegraph
Saturday May 12, 2007

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and mayor of New York, is building the foundations for an audacious third-party presidential candidacy that would transform the 2008 race for the White House.

The Daily Telegraph has established that a senior aide to Mr Bloomberg has held three lunch meetings with officials from the Independence Party, during which detailed discussions took place as to how a third-party bid could be launched.

Kevin Sheekey, Mr Bloomberg's special adviser and chief political strategist, first met Frank MacKay, the New York chairman of the Independence Party, for talks in November at Manhattan's Four Seasons hotel.

Two further lunch meetings took place in quick succession early last month over steak and seafood at the city's well-known Bobby Van's restaurant.

Mr MacKay declined to confirm or deny whether the meetings had happened but said that he thought Mr Bloomberg would make an "excellent candidate".

Meanwhile, a source closely connected to the New York mayor's inner circle said: "He thinks he could be a great president. Mike Bloomberg has got $500 million to spend and he is supremely confident."

Mr Bloomberg, 65, would be likely to run as a social liberal and fiscal conservative with signature issues such as environmentalism and gun control.