Bloomberg stirs GOP talk on Hill

During a small dinner after a recent fundraiser for Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was then still a Republican, told fellow diners at the residence of Georgette Mosbacher that he would not be running for president.

“During the dinner he said, ‘The last thing this country needs is a 5-foot-7 Jewish billionaire,’” King said. The lawmaker added that this did not dampen speculation but, rather, prompted the group to begin talking about a possible Bloomberg run.

{mosads}“We’ve discussed [Bloomberg] running for president and I think he’s probably 50-50,” said King, adding: “He’s intrigued by the concept and at peace with himself.”

Bloomberg’s decision Tuesday to leave the Republican Party — he previously left the Democratic Party — and become an independent reflects the non-partisan way he has governed New York City, King said.

The New York lawmaker added that the race probably would not have room for both Bloomberg and his predecessor. “I don’t know if he would run if Giuliani [received the nomination],” said King, who has endorsed Giuliani.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), who became an independent last year after he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Ned Lamont, said, “I have great respect for Mike Bloomberg and respect the decision he’s made. I think it says a lot about where a lot of people are: fed up with the partisanship … [T]he fastest-growing political party today is no party.”

Asked whether he’d consider reversing his vow to stay out of the early endorsement sweepstakes, Lieberman pointed out that Bloomberg is unlikely to enter the race before the nominees from both parties are clear, if he enters at all.

Bloomberg and Lieberman are personally close, and the mayor opened his home to a fundraiser for the senator last year just days before the general election, in which Lieberman came back from the brink to defeat Lamont.

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) said that although he would have preferred Bloomberg to stay within the GOP, he understood his choice.

“I love the mayor,” Shays said. “Candidly, he helped me to get reelected, and I can’t forget that.

“He’s comfortable with himself and doesn’t have to prove himself to anyone.”

When asked whether he would endorse Bloomberg should he decide to run, Shays said, “I would take a good look at him, depending on who is running.”

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a former governor, pointed out that Bloomberg’s move would have a home-state upside, enabling him to develop better relations with New York’s Democratic governor, Eliot Spitzer. Nelson noted the mayor’s meeting with fellow Nebraskan Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) about a possible unity ticket, musing, “Maybe Bloomberg is the person to step in and change the dynamics.”

Bloomberg, the founder of the massive Bloomberg media group, self-financed two mayoral campaigns in New York, and could pay his own way in a presidential race.

While the political implications of a possible third-party candidate may intrigue some lawmakers, others were less impressed.

“Good riddance,” Republican presidential candidate Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.) said of Bloomberg, and added that others should follow suit because “it would be a truer reflection of who they really are.”

Tancredo said it was unlikely that an independent Bloomberg run would have an impact on the presidential field or the electoral balance.

“In terms of what you have to do to [register] electoral votes, I doubt it will make much of a difference,” he said.

Asked whether Bloomberg should jump into the race and whether he would have a chance, Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) was decisive: “No and no,” he said.

 Lott, known as an astute political observer, also took a shot at Giuliani, saying, “I don’t believe we’re going to elect a mayor of New York City, past, present, or future, as president of the United States.”