NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg has squashed for good the possibility of running as an independent in this year's presidential race, declaring in a newspaper editorial that he will not seek the White House but might support another candidate who embraces bipartisan governing.
After the editorial appeared in Thursday's New York Times, Bloomberg deflected a question about his decision when calling into a WOR-AM telethon Thursday morning, saying only that he was going "to keep working for the city."
The 66-year-old billionaire businessman noted that he has 672 days left at his City Hall job, "and I'm going to do it."
Ending a dance of presidential speculation that began more than two years ago, Bloomberg said in the editorial that he will not launch his own bid but will work to "steer the national conversation away from partisanship and toward unity; away from ideology and toward common sense; away from sound bites and toward substance."
Bloomberg aides and associates had been assembling the framework for an independent campaign, and if he had decided to run, a $1 billion operation would have been ready to go. Instead, Bloomberg hinted in the editorial, he may lend his wealth and weight to someone else.
"If a candidate takes an independent, nonpartisan approach -- and embraces practical solutions that challenge party orthodoxy -- I'll join others in helping that candidate win the White House," he said.
A close Bloomberg associate told The Associated Press that the mayor had been wrestling with a decision until very recently, reaching a conclusion only in the last few days.
Several factors influenced him, according to the associate, who requested anonymity to discuss internal decisions. One of Bloomberg's main reasons for staying out is that he believes the presidential race has the potential to become a centrist contest, primarily because of the rise of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, both of whom have championed bipartisanship.
Centrist leadership would have been Bloomberg's chief selling point as a presidential candidate, and it was looking less likely that he would have been able to stand out with that message, the associate said.
Bloomberg, who had been doing extensive polling and state-by-state data collection to determine his viability as a candidate, also concluded that a third-party campaign would be a terribly heavy lift.
"I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not -- and will not be -- a candidate for president," he wrote in the editorial. "I have watched this campaign unfold, and I am hopeful that the current campaigns can rise to the challenge by offering truly independent leadership."
The 66-year-old billionaire businessman noted that he has 672 days left at his City Hall job, "and I'm going to do it."
Ending a dance of presidential speculation that began more than two years ago, Bloomberg said in the editorial that he will not launch his own bid but will work to "steer the national conversation away from partisanship and toward unity; away from ideology and toward common sense; away from sound bites and toward substance."
Bloomberg aides and associates had been assembling the framework for an independent campaign, and if he had decided to run, a $1 billion operation would have been ready to go. Instead, Bloomberg hinted in the editorial, he may lend his wealth and weight to someone else.
"If a candidate takes an independent, nonpartisan approach -- and embraces practical solutions that challenge party orthodoxy -- I'll join others in helping that candidate win the White House," he said.
A close Bloomberg associate told The Associated Press that the mayor had been wrestling with a decision until very recently, reaching a conclusion only in the last few days.
Several factors influenced him, according to the associate, who requested anonymity to discuss internal decisions. One of Bloomberg's main reasons for staying out is that he believes the presidential race has the potential to become a centrist contest, primarily because of the rise of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, both of whom have championed bipartisanship.
Centrist leadership would have been Bloomberg's chief selling point as a presidential candidate, and it was looking less likely that he would have been able to stand out with that message, the associate said.
Bloomberg, who had been doing extensive polling and state-by-state data collection to determine his viability as a candidate, also concluded that a third-party campaign would be a terribly heavy lift.
"I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not -- and will not be -- a candidate for president," he wrote in the editorial. "I have watched this campaign unfold, and I am hopeful that the current campaigns can rise to the challenge by offering truly independent leadership."
