In the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, expect to see either former Vice President Joe Biden or former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg — but not both.
As Bloomberg continues to float a possible presidential bid, The Atlantic reports that his advisers are paying close attention to Biden, believing that Bloomberg "almost certainly won't run" if Biden decides to do so. These advisers "doubt there's room in the Democratic field for both" candidates, the report says, especially because they're both white men in their 70s whose views on a number of issues are closely aligned.
In fact, Bloomberg's team is reportedly so anxious to learn what Biden's decision will be that they've frequently been "asking around for intel," while building a massive political operation and laying the groundwork should Bloomberg decide to jump into the race. Bloomberg's team has been weighing a number of other factors, though, including whether his record is right for this particular election cycle.
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Like Bloomberg, Biden has been publicly flirting with a 2020 run for months, recently saying he's getting closer to making a final decision but is in no hurry to announce it, CNN reports. If that decision is a yes, it looks like it'll be safe to count Bloomberg out.
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