Poll: Michael Bloomberg’s Potential Run Not Resonating With Voters

L: Democratic presidential candidate, Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a rally at the New Hampshire State House in Concord, New Hampshire on Nov. 8, 2019. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images) R: Former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg speaks in the Manhattan borough of New York, New York, on May 30, 2019. (Reuters/Carlo Allegri)

Billionaire media magnate Michael Bloomberg is running at 4 percent nationally as he reportedly explores a presidential bid for 2020, according to a new poll.

No Democratic contender is viewed more negatively by Democratic voters than Bloomberg, said the poll from Morning Consult.

According to the poll, he sits in sixth-place behind Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

“Nearly 25 percent of likely primary voters view him unfavorably—the highest unfavorable rating in the field—while about 31 percent view him favorably,” Politico reported. “In contrast, nearly three-quarters of Democratic primary voters view Joe Biden favorably, compared to about 18 percent who hold an unfavorable opinion of him.”

Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York City, has not publicly confirmed whether he will run for president. However, there is no clear Democratic front-runner three months ahead of the crucial Iowa caucuses.

The Morning Consult poll was carried out on Friday and surveyed 5,387 registered voters, including 2,225 Democratic primary voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, dismissed the suggestion that Bloomberg, 77, poses a threat to him.

“I welcome him in the race,” he told reporters in New Hampshire. “Michael’s a solid guy, and let’s see where it goes. I have no problems with him getting into the race.”

“In terms of his running because of me, the last polls I looked at, I’m pretty far ahead,” Biden said. “If I’m not mistaken, I’m doing pretty well both relative to [President Donald] Trump and relative to all the people running in the Democratic primary.”

Bloomberg on Nov. 8 filed paperwork in Alabama to appear on the Alabama Democratic primary next year, reported the BBC.

His spokesman, Jason Schechter, said that Bloomberg’s announcement “could come as early as next week.”

On Nov. 7, his adviser, Howard Wolfson strongly suggested on Twitter that Bloomberg was looking to enter the race.

“In 2018, he spent more than $100 million to help elect Democrats to ensure that Congress began to hold the President accountable. And this year he helped Democrats win control of both houses of the Virginia legislature,” he wrote. “We now need to finish the job and ensure that Trump is defeated—but Mike is increasingly concerned that the current field of candidates is not well-positioned to do that.”

He added: “If Mike runs he would offer a new choice to Democrats built on a unique record running America’s biggest city, building a business from scratch and taking on some of America’s toughest challenges as a high-impact philanthropist.”

“Based on his record of accomplishment, leadership and his ability to bring people together to drive change, Mike would be able to take the fight to Trump and win,” he added.

On Friday, Trump responded to questions from reporters about Bloomberg’s potential bid.

“I know Michael Bloomberg … He’s not going to do well,” he said. “But I think he’s going to hurt [former Vice President Joe] Biden actually,” Trump, 73, said of the former mayor.

“Little Michael will fail. He’ll spend a lot of money” in the election, but he will ultimately not win the presidency, Trump told reporters.

This is not the first time Trump has used the “Little Michael” moniker.

“‘Little’ Michael Bloomberg, who never had the guts to run for president, knows nothing about me," Trump wrote on Twitter in July 2016 after Bloomberg criticized Trump’s business credentials at the Democratic National Convention. “His last term as Mayor was a disaster!”