Bloomberg Campaign Responds to Report That He Is Considering Hillary Clinton as His VP Pick

Democratic presidential candidate, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during a press conference to discuss his presidential run in Norfolk, Virginia on Nov. 25, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg’s campaign has responded to a report that the billionaire is considering former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

The Drudge Report, citing a source close to the candidate’s campaign, reported on Saturday that Bloomberg was considering Clinton after a source said that polling data revealed that a “Bloomberg-Clinton combination would be a formidable force.”

Matt Drudge, the founder and editor of the news aggregate website, wrote on his site that the billionaire is also considering changing his official residence from New York to Colorado or Florida “since the electoral college makes it hard for a POTUS and VPOTUS from the same state.”

The Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution states that an electoral college voter cannot vote for both a presidential and vice-presidential candidate if they are from the same home state, but electors can vote for candidates from states that are not their own.

Bloomberg’s campaign did not confirm or deny the report. In an emailed statement, the campaign’s communication director Jason Schechter said: “We are focused on the primary and the debate, not VP speculation.”

The Clinton Foundation did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

In an interview last week, Clinton said on The Ellen Show that she thinks she would not be asked to serve as a running mate for a Democratic presidential nominee, adding that she would probably not do it.

“Well, that’s not going to happen, but no, probably no,” Clinton told the show’s host Ellen DeGeneres.

However, in the same interview, she said that you “never say never” to a request to be a vice-presidential candidate.

Clinton also downplayed speculation at the end of last year that she would join the 2020 race, saying that it was “absolutely not” part of her plans at the moment. However, the 72-year-old did not entirely rule it out.

“As I say, never, never, never say never,” Clinton told BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday when she was asked about running again. “I will certainly tell you, I’m under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it.”

According to RealClearPolitics, Bloomberg is currently polling in third place at a national average of 14.2 percent as of Feb. 15. He is behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who are polling at an average of 23.6 percent and 19.2 percent respectively.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.