BLOOMBERG SAYS NO – AT 5:55 P.M. ET:  Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced today that he will not make an independent bid of the presidency.  Bloomberg, a multi-billionaire like Trump, could have financed his own campaign.  From CBS:

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday that he will not be running for president.

Bloomberg made the announcement in an op-ed piece on Bloomberg View.

“But when I look at the data, it’s clear to me that if I entered the race, I could not win. I believe I could win a number of diverse states — but not enough to win the 270 Electoral College votes necessary to win the presidency,” the former mayor wrote.

He continued: “In a three-way race, it’s unlikely any candidate would win a majority of electoral votes, and then the power to choose the president would be taken out of the hands of the American people and thrown to Congress. The fact is, even if I were to receive the most popular votes and the most electoral votes, victory would be highly unlikely, because most members of Congress would vote for their party’s nominee. Party loyalists in Congress — not the American people or the Electoral College — would determine the next president.”

Bloomberg added that he was worried his candidacy could pave the way to Donald Trump or Sen. Ted Cruz winning the presidency.

“As the race stands now, with Republicans in charge of both Houses, there is a good chance that my candidacy could lead to the election of Donald Trump or Senator Ted Cruz. That is not a risk I can take in good conscience,” Bloomberg said.

COMMENT:  Well, there goes a cabinet post in the Trump administration.  Actually, Mayor Mike was giving his non-endorsement to both Trump and Cruz.  I'm not surprised.  Bloomberg is a militant moderate.  He has been both a Republican and a Democrat, and now considers himself an independent.

Now, any third-party effort would probably have to be a group enterprise, with a candidate-yet-to-be-selected at its head.  I would not be shocked if that materialized. 

March 7, 2016