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Bloomberg White House Bid at 27% in U.S.

June 04, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - About a quarter of Americans would ponder casting a ballot for New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2008 United States presidential election, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 27 per cent of respondents are likely to consider voting for Bloomberg as an independent candidate.

Rudy Giuliani—who is seeking the Republican Party's presidential nomination—served as New York City's head of government from 1994 to 2001. Bloomberg took over from Giuliani in January 2002, after spending $69 million U.S. of his own money for the campaign. He earned a new term in November 2005, winning the election by more than 20 percentage points.

On May 13, Republican Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel hinted at the possibility of joining forces with Bloomberg, saying, "He is the mayor of one of the greatest cities on earth. He makes that city work. That's what America wants. It's a great country to think about—a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation."

Last month, former Federal Election Commission (FEC) chairman Michael Toner discussed a Bloomberg candidacy, saying, "(He) is Ross Perot on steroids. He could turn the political landscape of this election upside down."

In the 1992 presidential election, Ross Perot received 18.9 per cent of the popular vote as a third party candidate, but won no electoral votes. In 1996, Perot garnered 8.48 per cent of all cast ballots as the Reform Party nominee.

Polling Data

How likely is it that you would consider voting for Michael Bloomberg as an independent candidate for president?

Very likely

7%

Somewhat likely

20%

Not very likely

32%

Not at all likely

28%

Not sure

13%

Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 likely American voters, conducted on May 30, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.