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Billionaire Bloomberg Campaign Aims to Unify Splintered Democrats

Brian Padden

   WASHINGTON - Splintered results in early Democratic Party presidential
   nominating contests are providing an opening for former New York mayor
   and billionaire Mike Bloomberg's unconventional media-driven campaign
   strategy.

   Matthew Dallek, a professor of politics at George Washington
   University, said Bloomberg made a "risky bet" that the Democratic field
   would be "so scrambled" and moderate candidates "sufficiently weak"
   that he could bypass the early nomination contests and still win.

   Bloomberg declared his candidacy for president relatively late in
   November and missed the filing deadline for state elections this month.
   But he has been blanketing America's airwaves with slick political
   advertisements.

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