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Clinton Isn't Concerned About Bloomberg At All

by Cate Carrejo

Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg's possible independent run at the Oval Office doesn't seem to concern Hillary Clinton at all. During an interview Sunday morning with Meet the Press, Clinton responded cooly to questions about Bloomberg's potential candidacy. "The way I read what he said is if I didn't get the nomination, he might consider it. Well, I'm going to relieve him of that and get the nomination so he doesn't have to," Clinton told host Chuck Todd.

Clinton is most likely referring to The New York Times article published Saturday detailing Bloomberg's consideration of a presidential campaign. The article does indeed reference a possible opening in the race if either Ted Cruz or Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination and Sen. Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic nomination. "Mike Bloomberg for president rests on the not-impossible but somewhat unlikely circumstance of either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz versus Bernie Sanders,” Edward G. Rendell, a close ally of Clinton’s who is also a friend of Bloomberg’s, told The New York Times. He said:

If Hillary wins the nomination, Hillary is mainstream enough that Mike would have no chance, and Mike’s not going to go on a suicide mission.

However, Clinton, the presumed nominee for the Democratic party, might have reason to be nervous about that nomination. Because of their similar backgrounds and shared history, Bloomberg is more likely to poach voters from Clinton than Sanders. People could stay away from the voting booths in Iowa and New Hampshire, hoping that a loss for Clinton would mean Bloomberg entering the race. It could mean the win Sanders needs in Iowa, and a huge blow to Clinton's campaign if she loses the first caucus.

The polls aren't looking great for Clinton. A new CNN poll released Thursday shows Sanders ahead by eight points in Iowa, where he has been trailing Clinton for almost the entire race. Sanders has held a commanding lead in New Hampshire for weeks now, and with Clinton camped out in Iowa for the time being, it's unlikely she'll be able to pull ahead of Sanders in New Hampshire. Eight days until the Iowa caucus and 16 days until the New Hampshire primary, both elections could now be losing battles for the once-invincible Clinton.

Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Could the confluence of her struggling polling numbers and Bloomberg's consideration of the candidacy mean the end of Clinton's campaign? The always calm and collected Clinton seems unconcerned by her current or potential opponents, focused only on her own performance.