Billionaire and former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, has filed paperwork with the United States Federal Election Commission on Thursday for the 2020 presidential race. His team said he will run as a Democratic presidential.
According to CBS News, an aide with knowledge of the situation revealed that while the development is "another step" in Bloomberg's bid to run for presidency, the final announcement and decision has yet to be made.
The aide also revealed that a final decision may be due sometime Friday, even if Bloomberg already filed paperwork to be part of the Democratic primary ballot in both Arkansas and Alabama previously.
A day before filing with the election commission, Bloomberg also filed to be part of the Texas ballot. However, he is not expected to file paperwork for early caucuses in the states of Nevada and Iowa, nor is he expected to file in South Carolina and New Hampshire.
So far, the business mogul is looking to obtain signatures for the Tennessee ballot. His decision to forego some states where early presidential hopefuls have already visited for the past months is linked to his earlier signals about a late-entry into the race.
According to Reuters, a separate advisor also revealed that Bloomberg has filed for the ballots in Michigan and Georgia. It remains to be seen whether he will also file the necessary paperwork for other states.
Bloomberg did say earlier this year that he will not join the 2020 presidential race. However, sources revealed over the past months that the businessman has been working with potential allies for a possible late-entry.
Insiders who have close ties to the billionaire, who has an estimated net worth of over $55 billion, said that while an official announcement has yet to be made, Bloomberg's recent moves can be indications that he will soon announce his desire to run for presidency.
The working team behind Bloomberg's potential 2020 elections campaign previously revealed that the business mogul is planning to pour in over $100 million for his campaign, NBC New York reported.
Aside from the massive amount he is willing to spend if he officially announces his presidential run, it was recently revealed that Bloomberg already committed to developing a $100-million-fund on a digital ad campaign that should work against Republican rival and incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump.
Other Democratic party presidential hopefuls have yet to comment on the latest developments for next year's presidential elections. Bloomberg is the world's 14th richest person. He is also 9th in the list of richest Americans.
