NEW YORK (AP) – Mayor Bloomberg, who is mentioned as a possible 2008 independent candidate for the White House, said Friday that the presidential primary schedule is flawed and suggested the federal government should take over and change it.

This year many states have been pushing to move up the dates of their primaries and caucuses to give their voters more influence and to grab a larger share of the millions that candidates spend on the trail.

Governor Spitzer is expected to approve legislation soon that will move New York’s primary from March 6 to Feb. 5, a day that is also favored by several other states, including California and New Jersey.

Primaries have been leapfrogging earlier and earlier nationwide over the past two decades. In 1980, only one state held a primary or caucus by the end of February, and by next year, that number could grow to more than 30 states.

Mr. Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show that he had mixed emotions about states changing their primary and caucus dates.

He said one problem is that small states with early primaries get loads of attention and therefore have a disproportionate say in picking the candidates, while their populations are “not really very representative.”

In many years, by the time the later states have their contests, the candidates are already chosen, he said. But for 2008, with so many primaries being moved earlier and closer together, clear front-runners may not emerge right away and those with later primaries may end up having a greater influence.

The schedule should be reevaluated and set by the federal government, he said. Others have floated similar overhauls, such as a single national primary day, but those ideas have not gotten off the ground.

“We should come up with a policy from a federal point of view and not let each state do it,” he said. “Because there’s no coordination and nobody’s focusing on what’s good for the public and good for the country in national elections; they’re only focusing on what’s good for the state.”

The Republican billionaire repeatedly denies any interest in joining the race, but the speculation persists. One of his political advisers, Kevin Sheekey, has floated a scenario that leaves Bloomberg free to put off a decision until about a year from now, when he can assess the front-runners for the two major parties.

Supporters say Mr. Bloomberg, who would not raise money and could self-finance an entire campaign operation, could enter as an independent if there is a clear sense of division in the race between the extreme left and right.

The moderate Republican was a lifelong Democrat before he changed parties to run for mayor in 2001 and avoid a crowded Democratic field.