Nader Run Could Open An Avenue for Bloomberg

The announcement that Ralph Nader will run for president as a third-party candidate may create an opening for Mayor Bloomberg to run as an independent.

A political strategist and pollster who has worked for Mr. Bloomberg and President Clinton, Douglas Schoen, said the entry of Mr. Nader would fracture the Democratic vote, making the possibilities for a centrist alternative "even greater."

"The Democratic candidate, whoever it may be, will have to tack to the left to protect their left flank, and that leaves more room on the center-left," Mr. Schoen said during a telephone interview with The New York Sun.

He said the Republican frontrunner, Senator McCain, is moving further to the right because of his more conservative opponent, Mike Huckabee, and the possibility of a fourth-party candidate such as Rep. Ron Paul, a move that is leaving "a huge void in the middle."

"There's a scenario where you have five candidates. You could have a hypothetical Paul on the right and Nader on the left and Bloomberg in the center and a Democrat and a Republican," he said. He added that he thinks that "there is a very substantial opening and opportunity" for Mr. Bloomberg.

On March 5, the day after the Texas primary, Mr. Bloomberg can begin circulating petitions in Texas to secure a spot on the November ballot. Mr. Schoen has said Mr. Bloomberg may circulate petitions before making a final decision about whether to run.

When asked yesterday by the host of "Fox News Sunday," Chris Wallace, about his reaction to Mr. Nader entering the race, Governor Corzine said he thinks the more interesting question is whether Mr. Bloomberg will get in.

"I think that would have a major impact on the outcome of the race and I think it's unpredictable which side would hurt the most on that," he said, according to a partial transcript of the interview from Fox News. "But that's a question that's much more relevant, I think, to the endgame of who the next president of the U.S. is."

Mr. Bloomberg is considered by some to be a possible presidential candidate. He has repeatedly denied that he is a candidate for president.