Campaign Candor: The year of the independent?
By Jon Busdeker on Jul. 05, 2007
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s recent announcement that he is leaving the Republican Party to become an independent has given hope to many moderates and non-partisans of having the first truly viable third-party presidential candidate since 1992 presidential aspirant Ross Perot.
Bloomberg’s decision to leave his adopted party, announced alongside California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is seen by many as a likely precursor to a Bloomberg presidential run. Combined with his impressive record as both a businessman and mayor of New York, Bloomberg’s reported willingness to spend as much as $500 million on a presidential campaign makes his possible third-party candidacy a force to be reckoned with.
Although the New York mayor publicly denies any interest in running for president, his continued flirtation with the idea has raised many questions about the impact he and other potential independent candidates for president would have on the 2008 general election.
A possible Bloomberg run for president would have several main strengths. At a time in which many citizens are dissatisfied with business as usual in Washington, Bloomberg’s independent and anti-partisan message would likely resonate with many voters. The New Yorker’s credible outsider status and his history of working alongside members of both parties would allow him to campaign on a platform of reform that almost all of the mainstream candidates would find difficult to counter.
If these reasons make his candidacy attractive, however, another detail about Bloomberg makes his candidacy feasible. The self-made Bloomberg, with an estimated net worth of more than $5 billion dollars from his career in finance and media, could pour close to half a billion dollars of his own money into his campaign. This kind of immediate infusion of cash would likely lure to the Bloomberg camp an incredibly talented campaign organization and could buy enough TV and radio airtime to make him a household name in any state deemed receptive to his candidacy.
Thus, a Bloomberg run for president, especially if teamed with someone like moderate Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, could have an immediate impact on the 2008 presidential race.
However, Bloomberg’s possible bid to become president would be faced with many obstacles. Five and a half feet tall, Jewish, a single divorcee and from New York, Bloomberg does not exactly fit the prototypical mold of past presidents. His significant wealth and willingness to spend it freely on political races, while an asset in the organizational sense, could raise rancor among those who felt that he was trying to “buy” the presidency. In a race in which one or both of the major party candidates could be from New York, the desire of the public for an additional contender from the state could be lacking.
Additionally, a Bloomberg or any other independent candidacy would face tremendous problems in getting into the televised debates and onto each state’s ballot, an arduous and lengthy process for any non-affiliated candidate.
These challenges, while significant, are not likely to stop Mayor Bloomberg’s continued flirtation with the idea of a race for president or his formation of a nascent political organization and base.
Given the current anti-partisan political atmosphere, independent candidacies for president, whether by Bloomberg or someone else, have rarely had as much potential. I look forward to following Bloomberg’s political movements with you and truly appreciate your continued support of my column.
By Wesley Little. Little, a student at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, is political chairman of the university’s 100-year-old Mock Convention. He can be contacted at , or respond to his column on http://www.the-burg.com. Letters can also be sent in care of this publication.
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