Former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg officially returns to the Democratic party
Bloomberg became a Republican in 2001, winning the New York mayoral election that year and in 2005, before registering as an independent in 2007.
Former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg officially returns to the Democratic party Bloomberg became a Republican in 2001, winning the New York mayoral election that year and in 2005, before registering as an independent in 2007. Check out this story on gosanangelo.com: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/10/10/michael-bloomberg-democrat/1587307002/
William Cummings, USA TODAY Published 8:08 a.m. CT Oct. 10, 2018 | Updated 3:06 p.m. CT Oct. 10, 2018
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg rejoined the Democratic Party, after being both a Republican and Independent in recent years. The move comes amid speculation that he may run for the White House in 2020. Buzz60
Michael Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Action, speaks during the plenary session of the Global Action Climate Summit on Sept. 13, 2018, in San Francisco.(Photo: Eric Risberg, AP)
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is a Democrat once more.
Bloomberg, 76, announced Wednesday that he had re-registered as a Democrat for the first time since leaving the party in 2001, in what some are interpreting as a sign that he may run for president under that party's banner in 2020.
"At key points in U.S. history, one of the two parties has served as a bulwark against those who threaten our Constitution. Two years ago at the Democratic Convention, I warned of those threats. Today, I have re-registered as a Democrat – I had been a member for most of my life – because we need Democrats to provide the checks and balance our nation so badly needs," the former New York City mayor said in an Instagram post.
At key points in U.S. history, one of the two parties has served as a bulwark against those who threaten our Constitution. Two years ago at the Democratic Convention, I warned of those threats. Today, I have re-registered as a Democrat – I had been a member for most of my life – because we need Democrats to provide the checks and balance our nation so badly needs.
A post shared by Mike Bloomberg (@mikebloomberg) on Oct 10, 2018 at 2:41am PDT
The media mogul became a Republican in 2001 and won the party's primary in the mayoral race that year. He went on to win less than two months after the 9/11 attacks. He was elected again as a Republican in 2005.
He then left the Republican party in 2007 to register as an independent, citing the need to prioritize results over a "rigid adherence to any particular political ideology." As an independent, he won a third term as mayor in 2009.
Bloomberg's exit from the Republican Party in 2007 fueled speculation that he would make a third-party run for president in 2008. He again flirted with running for the nation's highest office in 2016, but ending up endorsing Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee who went on to lose to President Donald Trump.
In September, Bloomberg told the New York Times that he did not think a third-party candidate has a legitimate chance to win in America today and that if decided to run for president, it would be as a Democrat.
"It's impossible to conceive that I could run as a Republican – things like choice, so many of the issues, I'm just way away from where the Republican Party is today," he said. "That's not to say I'm with the Democratic Party on everything, but I don't see how you could possibly run as a Republican. So if you ran, yeah, you'd have to run as a Democrat."
The founder of the Bloomberg media company is worth about $48.3 billion, making him the 10th-richest person in America, according to Forbes. Known as a fiscal conservative and social liberal, Bloomberg has donated more than $5 billion to causes including gun control and fighting climate change.
Bloomberg said he plans to spend $80 million backing Democratic candidates in the upcoming midterm elections. After the contentious confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Bloomberg announced he plans to spend another $20 million to help Democrats retake the Senate.
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