michael bloomberg billionaire former mayor new york city tell aid draw plan independent campaign u.s. presidency accord source familiar situation bloomberg advise friends associate would will spend least billion money campaign november 2016 election accord source speak condition anonymity discuss former mayor think news bloomberg mull presidential run first report saturday new york time bloomberg 73 give early march deadline enter race source say commission poll december see would fare donald trump hillary clinton republican democratic frontrunners third-party candidate ever u.s. presidential election bloomberg close wall street tie liberal social view see open candidacy republicans nominate trump texas senator ted cruz democrats nominate vermont senator bernie sanders source say bloomberg long privately flirt idea mount presidential run serve mayor new york city 2002 2013. switch party affiliation republican independent 2007 recent years spend millions national campaign tighten u.s. gun laws reform immigration one unnamed bloomberg adviser tell time former mayor believe voters want non-ideological bipartisan results-oriented vision offer 2016 election cycle either political party well-financed presidential run bloomberg would likely disrupt dynamics election billionaire would face significant hurdle race full swing nearly year though third-party candidate ever claim white house several previous bid affect overall makeup race 1992 texas businessman ross perot run independent decision believe help democrat bill clinton defeat incumbent republican george h. w. bush bloomberg earn 13 percent support face hypothetical three-way race clinton trump accord poll 4,060 register voters conduct january 14-17 morning consult trump clinton virtually tie 37 36 percent respectively survey find part bloomberg motivation enter race stem frustration clinton campaign source say clinton dog question honesty amid ongoing investigation use private email server secretary state sanders clinton chief rival recently surge poll key early vote state iowa new hampshire development make bloomberg increasingly worry general election sanders self-described socialist trump cruz stake far-right position issue like immigration new hampshire republican party first nation presidential town hall nashua senator rand paul lag badly opinion poll seem unfazed possibility bloomberg third-party run even saw bright side party split democrat vote gun control might good republicans paul tell reporters representatives bloomberg decline comment former mayor plan presidential race additional report alana wise new hampshire edit janet lawrence mary milliken sap sponsor coverage independently produce staff reuters news agency michael bloomberg may launch independent u.s. presidential bid source