New York Magazine - USA (2019-12-09)

december 9–22, 2019 | new york 23

inside: The tech world’s top critics, ranked / Talking to Rick Owens / Unusual wedded bliss

thecallsstartedearlyon a Thursday evening last

month,momentsaftertheNewYorkTimesreported Michael

Bloombergwasexpectedtojumpintothe 2020 race. Onone end

werea handfulofJoeBiden’s topcampaignaides and allies; on

theotherweresomeofhishighest-priority current and prospec-

tivedonors.Theformerwantedtoreassurethe latter about

Biden’splaceintheraceandtopreemptany second thoughts

abouttheirloyaltytotheformervice-president, according to

Democratsfamiliarwiththeconversations.

Itseemedclear, then,that theBidenteamand, toa lesser

extent,PeteButtigieg’shadreasontobe“very worried,” as one

veteran Manhattan Democrat who is wired into Biden’s fund-

raising orbit said to me that week. Bloomberg had reversed his

springtime decision not to run after concluding that Biden was

no longer well positioned to win the Democratic nomination and

that no one else was sufficiently moderate and popularenough

Power:

Gabriel Debenedetti

Is Candidate Bloomberg

Actually Good for Biden?

What changes for

donors with a (second)

PHOTOGRAPH: DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGESbillionaire in the race.