Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg
Basic facts
Location:	New York, N.Y.
Affiliation:	Democratic
Education:	•Johns Hopkins University •Harvard Business School
Website:	Official website

Michael Bloomberg is a businessman and a former three-term New York City mayor. He was a candidate for president during the 2020 Democratic primaries.

Bloomberg announced that he was running for president on November 24, 2019. He suspended his presidential campaign on March 4, 2020, and endorsed Joe Biden. Bloomberg was previously considered a possible 2016 presidential candidate.

In August 2025, Bloomberg had an estimated net worth of $109.4 billion. In the late 1980s, Bloomberg developed computer terminals with real-time financial information and several media outlets. He has donated to numerous political and philanthropic causes.

Biography

Early career

After graduating with an MBA from Harvard, Michael Bloomberg began working on Wall Street with the investment firm Salomon Brothers in 1966. He made partner with the firm in 1972 and became the head of equity trading and sales in 1976. In 1979, he transferred to the company's information systems division and was in charge of implementing computer technology in the firm's practice. In 1981, the company restructured and Bloomberg left with a severance package. He used the money to start Bloomberg LP, a service "that gave investors real-time access to Treasury bond prices." Bloomberg LP operates news services around the world, including Bloomberg Professional Services and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Mayor of New York

See also: Elections

Michael Bloomberg ran for Mayor of New York City three times as a Republican. He briefly switched to become an independent in 2007 but ran as a Republican for his final mayoral race in 2009. The BBC reported that Bloomberg had "tried to turn the city into a laboratory for civic renewal and reform." They went on to say, "New York has changed in other ways, too, whether it is in the proliferation of bike lanes, the introduction of a bike sharing scheme, or the redevelopment of large swathes of the city. Some 40,000 new buildings have been constructed since he took office. A third of the city has been "re-zoned," easing the path for developers."

A 2013 NPR story said, "At the same time that Bloomberg was celebrated for bike paths, smoking bans and glittering skyscrapers, hundreds of thousands of young minorities were experiencing a very different city at the hands of New York's police. Under the "stop and frisk" policy, they could be stopped and searched without a warrant."

Bloomberg Philanthropies

After his time as mayor, Bloomberg returned to working as the head of Bloomberg LP and began Bloomberg Philanthropies, an organization that combined his various philanthropic activities. The group focuses its giving in the areas of environment, public health, education, arts, government innovation, and the Greenwood Initiative, which "aims to accelerate the pace of wealth accumulation in Black communities and address systemic underinvestment in them."

Bloomberg's philanthropic work also focused on advancing the use of data and technology in cities and city government. In 2015, the organization began a "What Works Cities" initiative. The program offered $42 million in grant money to help 100 American cities develop stronger strategies for developing and using data. What Works Cities became a formal organization in 2017.

Work and activities

Involvement in 2024 election

In 2024, Bloomberg donated $20 million to a political action committee supporting Vice President Kamala Harris (D) in the presidential election, as well as $10 million to the House Majority PAC to support Democratic candidates for U.S. house. He later gave an additional $50 million to Harris' campaign, The New York Times reported.

Involvement in 2018 midterms

On June 20, 2018, Bloomberg announced he would spend $80 million supporting Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms.

He released a statement that said the following:

“	To be clear: I have plenty of disagreements with some Democrats, especially those who seek to make this election about impeachment. Nothing could be more irresponsible. But I believe that ‘We the People’ cannot afford to elect another Congress that lacks the courage to reach across the aisle and the independence to assert its constitutional authority. And so I will support Democratic candidates who are committed to doing both.	”
—Michael Bloomberg

On October 2, 2018, Bloomberg announced he would donate $20 million to the Senate Majority PAC.

“Mike was extraordinarily disappointed in the Republican leadership in the Senate and feels increasingly passionate about changing it,” Bloomberg adviser Kevin Sheekey said about the donation. “And he’s already enthusiastic about the impact he’s having on House races and increasingly confident that he can contribute to a Democratic takeover.”

Everytown for Gun Safety

See also: Everytown for Gun Safety

In 2006, Bloomberg, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and 13 other mayors, co-founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The early work of Mayors Against Illegal Guns focused on eliminating the illegal sale of firearms. In 2014, Mayors Against Illegal Guns combined with Moms Demand Action to become Everytown for Gun Safety. The New York Times reported that Bloomberg planned to spend $50 million on the new group; the group's strategy would be focused on organizing in the fashion of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The paper wrote, "The strategy will focus not on sweeping federal restrictions to ban certain weapons, but instead will seek to expand the background check system for gun buyers both at the state and national levels."

School board activity

See also: Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2013)

Bloomberg contributed $1 million in 2013 to the Coalition for School Reform in the Los Angeles Unified School District school board election. The Coalition for School Reform supported a slate of three candidates in the general election on May 21, 2013. The organization's campaign manager stated that its goals included supporting district Superintendent John Deasy, changing teacher evaluations and creating new charter schools. Two of the three candidates supported by the Coalition for School Reform won their election. Parents and Teachers for Putting Students First, a Super PAC affiliated with Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst national education reform advocacy organization, contributed $250,000 to the Coalition for School Reform as well.

Ballot measure activity

Note: Ballotpedia tracked Michael Bloomberg as a ballot measures influencer through 2020. You can send information about this influencer’s current involvement with ballot measures to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Overview of ballot measure support and opposition

The following table details Michael Bloomberg's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:

Ballot measure support and opposition for Michael Bloomberg
Ballot measure	Year	Position	Status
San Francisco, California, Proposition C, Authorize and Regulate Sale of Electronic Cigarettes and Vapor Products Initiative (November 2019)	2019	Opposed	d Defeated
Nevada Background Checks for Gun Purchases, Question 1 (2016)	2016	Supported	aApproved

Michael Bloomberg co-founded Everytown for Gun Safety, which supported Maine Background Checks for Gun Sales, Question 3 (2016) and Washington Individual Gun Access Prevention by Court Order, Initiative 1491 (2016).

San Francisco, California, Proposition C, Authorize and Regulate Sale of Electronic Cigarettes and Vapor Products Initiative (November 2019)

See also: San Francisco, California, Proposition C, Authorize and Regulate Sale of Electronic Cigarettes and Vapor Products Initiative (November 2019)

Michael Bloomberg donated over $1.6 million to No on C, SF Kids vs. Big Tobacco, which led the opposition campaign against San Francisco Proposition C.

Nevada Background Checks for Gun Purchases, Question 1 (2016)

See also: Nevada Background Checks for Gun Purchases, Question 1 (2016)

Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety contributed over $14.5 million in support of Nevada Background Checks for Gun Purchases, Question 1 (2016).

Recall activity

See also: 2013 Colorado recalls

In 2013, Bloomberg donated a total of $350,000 in support of Colorado State Sens. John Morse (D) and Angela Giron (D). The lawmakers faced recall over their support of gun control legislation passed in the Colorado State Senate. Morse and Giron were both ultimately defeated and replaced by Republicans. Bloomberg did not donate directly to the campaigns, instead contributing to a group called Taxpayers for Responsible Democracy.

Redistricting activity

See also: California Proposition 11, Creation of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission Initiative (2008)

In 2008, Bloomberg campaigned for and donated $250,000 in support of the passage of Proposition 11 in California. The proposition authorized the creation of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Energy policy activity

See also: Energy policy in New York and Energy policy in the United States

Bloomberg has pushed to decrease carbon emissions, increase New York City's sustainability and is supportive of shale gas drilling, so long as more stringent regulations are put into place. While mayor of New York City Bloomberg announced PlaNYC 2030, an initiative that would reduce the city's carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030. In 2007, Bloomberg spoke in favor of charging a fee to those releasing greenhouse gas.

In 2014, Bloomberg coauthored an op-ed in the New York Times with Fred Krupp, about shale gas, or natural gas derived from shale rock using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Bloomberg argued that a data-driven approach to fracking (called shale gas drilling by Bloomberg) could allow cities access to the benefits of increased natural gas usage, such as jobs, lower energy costs and energy security, while better managing the risks, such as air and water pollution.

Elections

2020

Presidency

See also: Presidential candidates, 2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election on November 3, 2020. Biden received 306 electoral votes and President Donald Trump (R) received 232 electoral votes. In the national popular vote, Biden received 81.2 million votes and Trump received 74.2 million votes.

Bloomberg announced that he was running for president on November 24, 2019. He suspended his campaign on March 4, 2020.

Ballotpedia compiled the following resources about Bloomberg and the 2020 presidential election:

• News stories about the 2020 presidential election;
• An overview of key national and state campaign staffers;
• Endorsements from politicians, public figures, and organizations;
• An overview of candidate campaign travel; and
• A list of other presidential candidates who ran for election.

Click here for Bloomberg's 2020 presidential campaign overview.

Michael Bloomberg (D) presidential primary results in 2020

State	Date	% of vote received	Pledged delegates
Iowa	February 3	0.0	0
American Samoa	March 3	49.9	4
Arkansas	March 3	16.7	3
California	March 3	12.1	7
Colorado	March 3	18.5	9
Maine	March 3	11.8	0
Massachusetts	March 3	11.7	0
Minnesota	March 3	8.3	0
North Carolina	March 3	13.0	3
Oklahoma	March 3	13.9	2
Tennessee	March 3	15.5	5
Texas	March 3	14.4	11
Utah	March 3	15.4	3
Vermont	March 3	9.4	0
Virginia	March 3	9.7	0
Alabama	March 3	11.7	0
Idaho	March 10	2.4	0
Michigan	March 10	4.6	0
Mississippi	March 10	2.5	0
Missouri	March 10	1.5	0
North Dakota	March 10	0.8	0
Washington	March 10	7.9	0
Democrats Abroad	March 10	2.2	0
Florida	March 17	8.4	0
Illinois	March 17	1.5	0
Wisconsin	April 7	1.0	0
Ohio	April 28	3.2	0
Indiana	June 2	1.0	0
Maryland	June 2	0.6	0
Georgia	June 9	0.7	0
West Virginia	June 9	2.0	0
New York	June 23	3.5	0
Louisiana	July 11	1.6	0
Puerto Rico	July 12	14.2	2

---

Total pledged delegates: 49

2016

On January 23, 2016, The New York Times reported that Bloomberg was considering a possible independent presidential run and that he would be willing to spend $1 billion of his own money on a campaign. However, on March 7, 2016, he announced that he would not be a candidate. In an editorial for Bloomberg News, he wrote:

“

Over the last several months, many Americans have urged me to run for president as an independent, and some who don’t like the current candidates have said it is my patriotic duty to do so. I appreciate their appeals, and I have given the question serious consideration. The deadline to answer it is now, because of ballot access requirements.

”

2009

Bloomberg left the Republican Party in 2007 when he was considering an independent 2008 presidential campaign; however, he ran for mayor as a Republican in 2009. New York City held a mayoral general election on November 3, 2009. A primary election took place on September 15. Michael Bloomberg (R) was elected to a third term, defeating William C. Thompson Jr. (D), Billy Talen (G), Stephen Christopher, Francisca Villar, Dan Fein, Jimmy McMillan, Joseph Dobrian (L) and numerous write-in candidates.

Mayor of New York City. General Election, 2009
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael Bloomberg	50.7%	585,466
	Democratic	William C. Thompson Jr.	46.3%	534,869
	Conservative	Stephen Christopher	1.6%	18,013
	Green	Billy Talen	0.8%	8,902
	Other	Jimmy McMillan	0.2%	2,332
	Other	Francisca Villar	0.2%	1,996
	Libertarian	Joseph Dobrian	0.1%	1,616
	Other	Dan Fein	0.1%	1,311
Total Votes				1,154,505
Source: Board of Elections in the City of New York - General Election Results

2008

In 2008, Bloomberg was reportedly a possible presidential candidate but he ruled out a run after "Super Tuesday," when nearly two dozen states held caucuses or primaries. He announced his decision not to run in 2008 in an op-ed in the New York Times.

2005

New York City held a mayoral general election on November 8, 2005. A primary election took place on September 13. Michael Bloomberg (R) was elected mayor for a second time. He defeated Fernando Ferrer (D), Thomas V. Ognibene, Anthony Gronowicz (G), Jimmy McMillan, Audrey Silk (L), Martin Koppel, Seth A. Blum and numerous write-in candidates.

Mayor of New York City, General Election, 2005
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael Bloomberg	57.3%	753,089
	Democratic	Fernando Ferrer	38.3%	503,219
	Conservative	Thomas V. Ognibene	1.1%	14,630
	Green	Anthony Gronowicz	0.6%	8,297
	Other	Jimmy McMillan	0.3%	4,111
	Libertarian	Audrey Silk	0.2%	2,888
	Other	Martin Koppel	0.2%	2,256
	Other	Seth A. Blum	0.1%	1,176
	Other	Write-ins (total)	0%	269
	Other	Unrecorded	1.9%	25,425
Total Votes				1,315,360
Source: Board of Elections in the City of New York - General Election Results

2001

Bloomberg, a longtime Democrat, switched to the Republican Party to run for mayor in 2001. New York City held a mayoral general election on November 6, 2001. The primary election was held on September 25. Michael Bloomberg (R) was elected to his first term, defeating Mark Green (D), Julia Willebrand (G), Terrance M. Gray, Alan G. Hevesi, Kenneth B. Golding, Bernard H. Goetz, Kenny Kramer (L), Thomas K. Leighton and all write-in candidates. A Democratic Party run-off primary election took place on October 22, 2001. Mark Green defeated Fernando Ferrer for the Democratic nomination.

Mayor of New York City, General Election, 2001
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael Bloomberg	49%	744,757
	Democratic	Mark Green	46.6%	709,268
	Green	Julia Willebrand	0.5%	7,155
	Conservative	Terrance M. Gray	0.2%	3,577
	Other	Alan G. Hevesi	0.7%	10,331
	Other	Kenneth B. Golding	0%	474
	Other	Bernard H. Goetz	0.1%	1,049
	Libertarian	Kenny Kramer	0.1%	1,408
	Other	Thomas K. Leighton	0.2%	2,563
	Other	Write-ins (total)	0%	332
	Other	Unrecorded	2.6%	39,529
Total Votes				1,520,443
Source: Board of Elections in the City of New York - General Election Results

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Michael + Bloomberg"

Michael Bloomberg News Feed

See also

• What is an influencer?
• New York, New York
• Everytown for Gun Safety
• Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2013)
• 2014 ballot measures
• 2013 Colorado recalls
• California Proposition 11, Creation of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission Initiative (2008)
• Energy policy in New York
• Energy policy in the United States

External links

• Michael Bloomberg Personal Website
• Michael Bloomberg on Twitter
• Everytown for Gun Safety