Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire media owner and former New York mayor, has stated for the first time that he is considering a run to become US president, a move that would dramatically reshape the 2016 race for the White House. 
 
 Speaking to the Financial Times, the founder of the eponymous financial information group criticised the quality of the debate so far. He said ​he was “looking at all the options” when asked whether he was considering putting his name forward. 
 
 “I find the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an outrage and an insult to the voters,” Mr Bloomberg said in an interview, before adding that the US public deserved “a lot better”. 
 
 His comments follow a New York Times report​ last month that said the billionaire had told advisers to draft a plan for a run as an independent candidate that could see him spending as much as $1bn of his​ estimated​ $39bn fortune. 
 
 The first confirmation by Mr Bloomberg, who has considered running for the Oval Office in previous elections, comes as Donald Trump, the bombastic billionaire running a populist​ campaign, dominates​ the Republicans’ race. The property mogul has a significant lead in polls ahead of Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire. In the Democratic race, Senator Bernie Sanders, the self-declared socialist senator from Vermont, boasts a sizeable lead over Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state. 
 
 Mr Bloomberg told the FT that he would need to start putting his name on ballots across the US at the beginning of March. “I’m listening to what candidates are saying and what the primary voters appear to be doing,” he said. 
 
 His entry would radically affect the election, which has already been upended by the anti-establishment campaigns of Mr Trump and Mr Sanders. Many experts believe that Mr Bloomberg would help the Republican nominee by drawing more support from Democrats over Republicans because of his liberal stance on issues such as gun control and the environment. 
 
 Highlighting the steep climb that Mr Bloomberg ​would ​probably ​face, a poll conducted by his own news organisation and the Des Moines Register ahead of the Iowa caucuses found that only 9 per cent of Republicans had a favourable view of him, while 17 per cent of likely Democratic voters in the state ​had a favourable opinion. 
 
 Mr Trump ​has said he would be “very happy” if Mr Bloomberg entered the race, while Mr Sanders ​has ​criticised the prospect, saying it would confirm that the US was “moving away from democracy to oligarchy”. ​ 
 
 ​​Mr Bloomberg reportedly also has reservations about the campaign of Mrs Clinton, who has dismissed the threat of his possible candidacy by arguing that he would only ​enter ​the race if she was not the Democratic nominee. But the strong challenge being posed by Mr Sanders raises the chances that the Democratic nominee will not be chosen by early March, the point at which Mr Bloomberg would need to make a decision about entering. 
 
 While experts believe that an independent candidate would struggle in a system that is heavily skewed to favour those from the two ​main ​parties, the 2016 race has already proved the danger of ​accepting conventional wisdom. 
 
 A year ago, most ​experts predicted that the election would see Mrs Clinton face Jeb Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida, or Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor. But Mr Walker ​dropped out early, and Mr Bush is struggling to save his campaign as he languishes in fifth place in the New Hampshire polls after doing badly in Iowa. 
 
 The World Blog White House countdown: Bloomberg weighs his options Jumping into the 2016 race would radically alter an election that has already been completely upended by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders 
 
 Mr Bloomberg was speaking as he launched the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, which was created to improve how companies report their exposure to climate change. He chairs the group, which was announced by Mark Carney, Financial Stability Board chief, at the recent climate change summit in Paris. 
 
 Mr Bloomberg has taken an increasingly hands-on role at his company since leaving the mayor’s office in 2014. 
 
 He had been expected to pursue his philanthropic endeavours, such as his work fighting climate change and his push for tighter gun control legislation. But the former mayor grew restless and went back to work full time at the company he co-founded in 1981. 
 
 His return was followed by upheaval in the upper echelons of the financial information company, with Dan Doctoroff, a long-time confidant, among the first to leave. 
 
 I’m listening to what candidates are saying and what the primary voters appear to be doing - Michael Bloomberg 
 
 Mr Doctoroff was Bloomberg’s chief executive, a role that Mr Bloomberg took himself. Several figures from the news and editorial side of the business have also left or stepped back, notably Matt Winkler, the bow tie-wearing father of the company’s news operation and Mr Bloomberg’s right-hand man for 25 years. He was replaced by John Micklethwait, editor of The Economist. 
 
 The shake-up in editorial came as part of a greater focus on the company’s data terminals. Bloomberg is facing new competitors on multiple fronts, notably Symphony, a messaging service owned by some of Wall Street’s biggest banks, and low-cost operators, such as Money.net. 
 
 The Cruz campaign welcomed the possible entry of Mr Bloomberg into the race. Rick Tyler, spokesman for Ted Cruz, said: “Please run!” 
 
 Brian Fallon, spokesman for the Clinton campaign, declined to comment, as did the Rubio campaign. 
 
 Michael Bloomberg urges companies to reveal climate change impact Companies must better explain to staff and investors how they are affected 
 
 At a Sanders rally in Derry, New Hampshire, supporters said Mr Bloomberg’s entry into the race was unlikely to change their vote. 
 
 Christopher Anderson, a 49-year-old art dealer who described himself an independent voter, said of Mr Bloomberg: “I don’t care for him. There’s not much difference between him and Hillary — they’re all in bed with Wall Street and big corporations.” 
 
 James Coll, s 43-year-old teacher in US history from New York, added: “If he runs as an independent, how would he govern after getting support from Democrats and Republicans?” 
 
 Additional reporting by Sebastian Payne in Derry, New Hampshire ||||| Washington (CNN) The leaders of the Republican and Democratic national committees on Wednesday weighed in on the prospect of an independent presidential run by Michael Bloomberg. 
 
 DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz suggested that the former New York City mayor's priorities are already "well cared-for" in the Democratic platform, while RNC leader Reince Priebus welcomed the idea, saying Bloomberg would siphon off votes from the Democratic candidate. 
 
 The billionaire recently told the Financial Times he found "the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an outrage and an insult to the voters," and that he was "looking at all the options." 
 
 With two nominating contests gone and outsider candidates like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump -- the two winners in New Hampshire -- looking like legitimate contenders, the likelihood of a Bloomberg bid could be growing. 
 
 Asked about the prospect by CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Wasserman Schultz sought to ease the wealthy media mogul's concerns, saying that Bloomberg's priorities are "well cared-for in the Democratic nominees' priorities and the Democratic Party 's agenda." 
 
 "(They are) certainly not cared-for by any of the Republicans that are running right now," the Florida congresswoman continued. "On the contrary, they would roll back progress on issues like education and consumer protection and gun safety and protecting people from people who would do them harm." 
 
 Wasserman Schultz's GOP counterpart Priebus, who spoke to Blitzer minutes later, took a different view of the question, saying he would welcome Bloomberg to the race, but only because he views the billionaire as a spoiler who would cull most of his support from the eventual Democratic nominee. 
 
 "I don't really view it as a third party (candidacy). I just view it as another Democrat," he said. "So you'll have two Democrats running and splitting their vote." 
 
 Priebus sought to pigeonhole Bloomberg as a "liberal Democrat" who "wants to take all the guns away" and "tax Slurpees and sodas," references to his calls for greater gun control and efforts to impose caps on soft drink sizes during his time running New York City. 
 
 "He can't get to 270 electoral votes. It's not even possible," Priebus added. "Even if he did win a few electoral votes, then he would put the race in the hands of (House Speaker) Paul Ryan and I would imagine Paul's going to choose the Republican." 
 
 If no candidate clinches a majority of electoral votes in the general election, the tiebreaker is put in the hands of the House of Representatives, which would likely put Ryan and his GOP colleagues in the position of picking the next president. ||||| Michael Bloomberg said he fears a scenario where his candidacy leads to Donald Trump or Ted Cruz being elected. | Getty Michael Bloomberg won't mount a presidential bid The former mayor says the math doesn't add up for him, while bashing Trump and Cruz as dangerous for America. 
 
 Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Monday that he will not mount a presidential run this year, saying he doesn't want to pave the way for Donald Trump or Ted Cruz to win the White House. 
 
 Bloomberg's decision to back away from an independent bid is a relief for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who could have seen support bleed over to Bloomberg in a three-way race. 
 
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 In an editorial he posted on Monday, Bloomberg said that if he had run, it was unlikely that any candidate would win a majority of electoral votes and that the responsibility of choosing the next president would be kicked to Congress. 
 
 "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. 
 
 "We cannot 'make America great again' by turning our backs on the values that made us the world’s greatest nation in the first place. I love our country too much to play a role in electing a candidate who would weaken our unity and darken our future -- and so I will not enter the race for president of the United States." 
 
 Bloomberg, who served as mayor from 2002 through 2013, confirmed in early February that he was flirting with a presidential bid because he was unhappy with the extremes that had emerged this election cycle. 
 
 On Monday, he said he was not ready to endorse, but that he would remain involved in this political season. 
 
 "I will continue urging all voters to reject divisive appeals and demanding that candidates offer intelligent, specific and realistic ideas for bridging divides, solving problems, and giving us the honest and capable government we deserve," Bloomberg said. 
 
 Bloomberg, who has evolved from a Democrat to a Republican to an Independent, has staked out his more recent political posture by focusing on gun control through his advocacy group. 
 
 He said he was motivated to consider an independent bid not only because of Trump and Cruz but also because of Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who has pledged to break up Wall Street banks — a direct threat to his financial data and media empire. 
 
 Sanders said Monday that it was good another billionaire wasn't entering the race. "I think it's a bad idea for American democracy that the only people who feel in many ways that they can run for president are people who have so much money," he said during a Fox News town hall. 
 
 Clinton, also speaking at Fox's town hall, said she has the "greatest respect" for Bloomberg. "He has to make his own decisions," she said. "I look forward to continuing to work with him, and finding ways he can show leadership as he has done so well." 
 
 The former mayor and business titan was considering throwing $1 billion toward a presidential run and had set a March deadline for himself. The New York Times reported on Monday that Bloomberg was strongly considering Michael Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as his running mate before ultimately deciding there was no path for him. The window was also closing for Bloomberg to appear on the ballot in many states. 
 
 A recent analysis by veteran pollster Jan van Lohuizen concluded that an independent candidate would be “unlikely” to win the White House unless he or she was able to completely run the table in November. 
 
 Early polling also showed that Bloomberg suffered from a public perception problem. An Iowa poll conducted for Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register in January found that just 17 percent of Democrats and only 9 percent of Republicans had a “favorable” view of the former mayor. 
 
 Howard Wolfson, a Democratic political strategist and counselor to Bloomberg, said on MSNBC on Monday afternoon that it's now clear Clinton will likely be the nominee and that while Bloomberg is a compelling candidate, he is "not compelling enough given the structural impediments against a third-party candidate.” 
 
 Bloomberg himself said that the math just didn’t add up for him. 
 
 “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,” he said. 
 
 Bloomberg did not mention Sanders in his editorial, but he took plenty of shots at Trump and Cruz. 
 
 “I have known Mr. Trump casually for many years, and we have always been on friendly terms. I even agreed to appear on ‘The Apprentice’ -- twice. But he has run the most divisive and demagogic presidential campaign I can remember, preying on people’s prejudices and fears,” Bloomberg said. “Abraham Lincoln, the father of the Republican Party, appealed to our ‘better angels.’ Trump appeals to our worst impulses.” 
 
 He added Cruz isn’t much better. 
 
 “Senator Cruz’s pandering on immigration may lack Trump’s rhetorical excess, but it is no less extreme. His refusal to oppose banning foreigners based on their religion may be less bombastic than Trump’s position, but it is no less divisive,” he said. 
 
 Eliza Collins contributed to this report. 
 
 Authors:
– The New Hampshire primary may have boosted the prospects of a politician who wasn't even on the ballot: Michael Bloomberg. Stories about a possible run have been circulating for a while, and the victories by Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have only ramped up speculation. Bloomberg is "itching to do it," an anonymous confidant tells the New York Post. The former New York City mayor is reportedly unlikely to run if Hillary Clinton is the nominee, but she got trounced by 21 points. "There's a big opening in the middle of the electorate, and Bloomberg is on point in that space," a former John McCain adviser who's not working with Bloomberg tells the Wall Street Journal. A Sanders-Trump race "would open a path for an independent candidate." On Monday, Bloomberg told the Financial Times he was "looking at all the options" and found "the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an outrage and an insult to the voters." He added he'd probably announce by early March. Aides say the results of Super Tuesday on March 1 will help him make his decision. But even if Bloomberg does run, one professor says he'll have a tough go. "It still is difficult to come in from out of the blue and get the traction you need, even when things are really seemingly divisive and there's a great deal of disenchantment, even when you're a billionaire," he says. The Republican National Committee believes Bloomberg would steal votes from the Democratic candidate, notes CNN. The DNC's chair says Bloomberg's priorities are "well cared-for."