--- ---  # Michael Bloomberg Considering Independent Presidential Run, Report Says  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:55 PM UTCPublished: Jan 23, 2016 3:18 PM UTC  Michael Bloomberg at a news conference at the COP21 climate summit in Paris, on Dec. 4, 2015. Michael Bloomberg at a news conference at the COP21 climate summit in Paris, on Dec. 4, 2015.Christophe Morin—Bloomberg/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:55 PM UTCPublished: Jan 23, 2016 3:18 PM UTC Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering a presidential run as an independent candidate, [according to a new report.](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/nyregion/bloomberg-sensing-an-opening-revisits-a-potential-white-house-run.html?smid=tw-share) The New York _Times_, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reports that the billionaire media executive has asked advisers to create a plan for an independent campaign. A person with knowledge of Bloomberg’s plans told TIME on Saturday morning that a Bloomberg presidential run is “significantly less likely” if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee, “but not impossible.” Bloomberg, 73, has considered running for president as an independent candidate previously, but has come to believe the success of Republican front runner Donald Trump and the [recent rise of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders](http://time.com/4189537/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-poll-iowa/) over Clinton in some early states could leave an opening for him this year, according to the _Times_. He has set a deadline for making a decision in early March, people briefed on the deliberations told thepaper. A former Democrat, Bloomberg ran for mayor as a Republican and [later changed his party affiliation to independent](http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/mayor-bloomberg-quits-the-gop/). Multiple outlets previously reported that [Bloomberg commissioned his own poll](http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/09/politics/michael-bloomberg-2016-president-campaign/) in December to determine how he would fare as a third-party candidate. There has not yet been any real polling about a Bloomberg candidacy, but [an online poll](https://morningconsult.com/2016/01/new-poll-could-bloomberg-win/) showed him coming in a distant third in a matchup with Trump and Clinton due to low name recognition. The poll seemed to indicate he would hurt Clinton among independents. Most pollsters are skeptical of the value of online only polls, however. [_Read more at the New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/nyregion/bloomberg-sensing-an-opening-revisits-a-potential-white-house-run.html) Michael Bloomberg Considers Presidential Run as Independent ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4191470/michael-bloomberg-presidential-run-independent/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4191470/michael-bloomberg-presidential-run-independent/"},"headline":"Michael Bloomberg Considering Independent Presidential Run, Report Says","datePublished":"2016-01-23T15:18:28.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T19:55:50.000Z","description":"His presidential run is less likely if Hillary Clinton is the nominee","url":"https://time.com/4191470/michael-bloomberg-presidential-run-independent/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea028bef3cf76549/69887a54cd1bbac6ab6ff131/bloomberg-michael.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea028bef3cf76549/69887a54cd1bbac6ab6ff131/bloomberg-michael.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Global Mayors Summit Addresses Climate Issues During COP21","caption":"Global Mayors Summit Addresses Climate Issues During COP21","creditText":"Christophe Morin—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4191470/michael-bloomberg-presidential-run-independent/","name":"Michael Bloomberg Considering Independent Presidential Run, Report Says"}}]}] ```