WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has little chance of winning the US presidency running as an Independent, but could attract strong moderate voter support, former European Union and US Agency for International Development consultant Paolo von Schirach told Sputnik.
"The best scenario for Bloomberg is to appeal to centrists in both parties and independents," von Schirach told Sputnik on Monday. "He may get votes from moderate Democrats who may not like Hillary Clinton because they question her ethics and are now convinced that the ‘Clinton brand’ is damaged.
On Saturday, the New York Times reported that the billionaire owner of Bloomberg Business News and three times-elected mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg is seriously considering entering the US presidential race as an Independent candidate.
Bloomberg could offer moderate Democrats, who would not vote for self-described "democratic socialist" Bernie Sanders, a viable alternative to Clinton, the analyst argued.
Clinton is under FBI investigation for her improper use of private server and emails for official business while serving as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
"At the moment, their only alternative is ultra-leftist Bernie Sanders, or staying at home on elections day. Bloomberg may give them a real alternative. He is a centrist, a competent former Mayor of New York City, a good administrator, pro-gun control," he pointed out.
However, von Schirach acknowledged that the numbers of disaffected Democrats would "need to be really high" for any attempt by Bloomberg to present himself as a better candidate to make any sense.
"Bloomberg will have a hard time winning support from most Republicans. He is no longer one of them. They will find him too liberal," he argued.
Like current Republican favourite Donald Trump, Bloomberg enjoys the appeal of the "self-made billionaire" who "can get things done," von Schirach acknowledged.
"But he lacks Trump's ‘outsider charisma.’ He will be labelled by Trump as yet another establishment figure, far on the left," he pointed out.
Bloomberg’s window of opportunity will ultimately depend on which candidates win the races for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations, von Schirach pointed out.
"There is space for Bloomberg as a third party candidate only if a really sizable number of centrists in both parties, (and most independent voters), are turned off by Clinton or Trump. For Bloomberg to have any chance whatsoever, these numbers need to be very high," Schirach emphasized.
Bloomberg’s credibility would also probably fade away if either or both parties choose more moderate and predictable mainstream figures as their presidential candidates, von Schirach predicted.
"If Trumps fades and Marco Rubio, for instance, emerges as the probable Republican nominee, then a Bloomberg third party candidate strategy is dead in the water. Both Republicans, and later on independents, could converge on Rubio," he suggested.
Finally, even for a very wealthy man with sufficient name recognition like Bloomberg, mounting a credible national campaign so late in the game looks like an almost impossible challenge, von Schirach pointed out.
