Jeff Bezos reportedly called Michael Bloomberg and asked him if he would run for president earlier this year

Andy Kiersz

November 10, 2019 12:57 AM

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos called former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg earlier this year and asked him if he was interested in running for president, according to Recode.

Jeff Bezos

Bloomberg filed paperwork to enter the Democratic primary in Alabama this week, a major indicator that he may enter the 2020 presidential race.
But he told Bezos he was not considering a run at the time of their call, according to the report.
Bloomberg's potential candidacy has already attracted the support of other billionaires, including investor Leon Cooperman, who has been highly critical of the more left-leaning candidates in the race.
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Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg took steps toward entering the 2020 presidential race this week , filing to enter the Democratic primary in Alabama.

And, according to a report from Recode's Jason Del Ray , Amazon CEO and world's richest person Jeff Bezos called Bloomberg earlier this year to gauge his fellow billionaire's interest in a presidential run.

According to Recode, Bezos asked Bloomberg whether he would consider running for president on a phone call, after the collapse of Amazon's plans to build a second headquarters in New York City earlier this year. At the time, Bloomberg said no, according to the report.

Recode noted that Bezos has largely avoided electoral politics, and it is not clear whether he would actively support Bloomberg's candidacy.

Bloomberg's prospective entry into the Democratic primary comes amid continued polling and fundraising strength for Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the two most left-leaning candidates in the race.

Bloomberg, who would likely run as a moderate, is entering the race as doubts about former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign emerge among more establishment and centrist factions in the Democratic Party.

Bezos is not the only billionaire who has expressed interest in a Bloomberg campaign. Billionaire investor and founder of Omega Partners Leon Cooperman told CNBC on Friday that he would back the former NYC mayor now that he is in the race. Cooperman has been deeply critical of Warren's proposed wealth tax on the hyper-rich.