Blogger Matt Drudge on Saturday reported that 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is considering Hillary Clinton as a potential running mate.
Drudge dropped his familiar siren on a report headlined in red: “EXCLUSIVE: BLOOMBERG CONSIDERS HILLARY RUNNING MATE.”
While the headline did not link to a story, two other headlines rounded out the package.
“Sources close to Bloomberg campaign tell DRUDGE REPORT that candidate is considering Hillary Clinton as running mate, after their polling found the Bloomberg-Clinton combination would be formidable force… MORE,” said one header.
“DRUDGE has learned that Bloomberg himself would go as far as to change his official residence from New York to homes he owns in Colorado or Florida, since the electoral college makes it hard for a POTUS and VPOTUS from the same state… Developing…” said the other.
A couple news sites quickly jumped on the story.
“The top right-leaning news aggregator, citing sources close to the Bloomberg team, reported on Saturday that the former New York mayor is contemplating Clinton as a vice presidential running mate after his campaign’s polling found the combination would go over well with voters,” the Washington Examiner wrote.
“Drudge Report founder Matt Drudge said in a rare tweet, which he will likely delete, that the former mayor would go as far as moving his official residence from New York to Colorado or Florida, where he owns homes, so that he and Clinton are not from the same state during the race.”
EXCLUSIVE: BLOOMBERG CONSIDERS HILLARY RUNNING MATE
Sources close to Bloomberg campaign tell DRUDGE REPORT that candidate is considering Hillary as running mate, after their polling found the Bloomberg-Clinton combination would be a formidable force… https://t.co/XH3TJA9nas pic.twitter.com/wBwRh1hVJH
— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) February 15, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: BLOOMBERG CONSIDERS HILLARY RUNNING MATE
DRUDGE: Bloomberg himself would go as far as to change his official residence from NY to homes he owns in CO or FL, since electoral college makes it hard for a POTUS and VPOTUS to be from same state. https://t.co/XH3TJA9nas pic.twitter.com/NuOy9w6HM8
— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) February 15, 2020
The Daily Mail keyed in on Drudge’s claim that Bloomberg could change his residence.
Former New York City Mayor and Democratic candidate Bloomberg is said to be considering even changing his official residence from New York to Colorado or Florida – where he also has homes – because the electoral college makes it difficult for US president and vice-president to reside in the same state.
Under the Twelfth Amendment to the US Constitution, which provides the procedure for electing the president and vice-president, it states that the two people could not both inhabit the same state as the elector.
Clinton has repeatedly stoked the embers of her losing 2016 campaign, saying she may jump into the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Back in 2018 — right around Halloween — Clinton was asked, “Do you want to run again?”
“No, no,” she replied, prompting laughter. Then she added: “I’d like to be president.”
Around Halloween the following year, The New York Times wrote a piece headlined “Anxious Democratic Establishment Asks, ‘Is There Anybody Else?’”
“When a half-dozen Democratic donors gathered at the Whitby Hotel in Manhattan last week, the dinner began with a discussion of which presidential candidates the contributors liked. But as conversations among influential Democrats often go these days, the meeting quickly evolved into a discussion of who was not in the race — but could be lured in,” the piece said, before offering up former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Clinton.
About the same time, the Associated Press wrote a piece headlined: “Democrats’ 2020 race has a new shadow: Hillary Clinton.”
“The first woman to win a major party presidential nomination — and the national popular vote leader with almost 3 million more votes than Trump — Clinton remains a popular figure in her party, even after enduring criticism for losing key Midwestern states to Trump,” AP wrote.
At the end of 2019, Clinton said “maybe there does need to be a rematch. Obviously, I can beat him again,” referring to her pulling in three million more votes than Trump (although he crushed her in the Electoral College by 304-227).