Pro-Abortion New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg Considers 2008 Bid 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 15, 2007
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) — New York City could be represented twice in the 2008 presidential elections if Michael Bloomberg follows through on his consideration of an independent bid. The pro-abortion mayor is a billionaire and his potential decision to run for president could shake the political landscape because he can buy the election with his own funds.
Michael Bloomberg was a life-long Democrat before he decided to run for mayor of the largest city in the country as a Republican.
But a close business advisor told the Washington Times that Bloomberg could run without any party because he has the ability to sink as much as $1 billion into a presidential campaign — more than Ross Perot put in during his two failed bids.
"He has set aside $1 billion to go for it," the friend told the Times. "The thinking about where it will come from and do we have it is over, and the answer is yes, we can do it."
As someone who could put in millions of his own money into a campaign, he would be instantly competitive. Bloomberg could also draw business-minded Republican voters and social-liberal Democrats in a campaign that would take votes away from both parties.
The source indicated that "Mike has been meeting with Ross Perot’s most senior people about how they did an independent run in 1992" — making it appear Bloomberg’s possibly candidacy is more than an idle thought.
The paper says the mayor has told friends and colleagues that he will run for president if he thinks he can make an impact in the national debate. Previously he said he would only run if he thought he could win a plurality of the vote.
News of Bloomberg’s possible bid comes on the heels of news that Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel met with the mayor recently and discussed the possibility of an independent bid. Hagel is a pro-life Republican who has fiercely criticized his party on Iraq and other issues.
Despite his party change, Bloomberg is seen as one of the strongest abortion advocates anywhere in the nation.
In 2004, he was a leading figure in the largest pro-abortion fundraiser ever held at the GOP convention and, before that, he was responsible for pushing for mandatory abortion training for doctors in NYC medical programs.
"Reproductive choice is a fundamental human right, and we can never take it for granted," Bloomberg has said in the past. "[O]n this issue, you’re either with us or against us."
Bloomberg also came under fire in the 2006 elections for assisting Democrats for various elected offices.
He loaned five administration aides to assist pro-abortion Democrat Claire McCaskill to takes on pro-life Sen. Jim Talent, a Republican. The race was close and McCaskill won by a small percentage that ultimately helped Democrats take over the Senate.
A Bloomberg official told the New York Daily News that the reason he got involved in that race is because of another difference with pro-life advocates — embryonic stem cell research. McCaskill backed embryonic stem cell research and a Missouri ballot measure that would promote human cloning.
He also donated $100 million to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University for embryonic stem cell research.
