When Mike Bloomberg entered the race for the Democratic nomination back in November, many people discounted him. The thought was that he stepped into the race too late, he’s too old (77) and too wealthy ($61 billion.) Bloomberg’s team always said he did a lot of research though before deciding to run and maybe now that research is paying off and surprising some pundits. Some new polls show the former NYC Mayor rising quickly.

It also is clear that Donald Trump is keeping a close eye on Bloomberg. He has been tweeting frequently about the billionaire calling him “Mini Mike.” And today, he tweeted, “WOW, BLOOMBERG IS A TOTAL RACIST!,” before quickly deleting the post. It’s no wonder Trump feels threatened by Bloomberg. The latest Quinnipiac poll also found that Bloomberg has the best chances of beating the president.

Among all registered voters, Democratic candidates lead President Trump in general election matchups by between 4 and 9 percentage points, with Bloomberg claiming the biggest numerical lead against Trump:

  • Bloomberg tops Trump 51 – 42 percent;
  • Sanders defeats Trump 51 – 43 percent;
  • Biden beats Trump 50 – 43 percent;
  • Klobuchar defeats Trump 49 – 43 percent;
  • Warren wins narrowly over Trump 48 – 44 percent;
  • Buttigieg is also slightly ahead of Trump 47 – 43 percent.

AXIOS adds:

The oddsmakers see Bloomberg in second among Democrats right now, behind Sanders.

  • Biden has tanked in the PredictIt online market, where his shares cost 43¢ on Jan. 8 and now go for 11¢. Bernie goes for 48¢, Mike for 28¢ and Pete is 14¢.

By the numbers: As Axios’ Stef Kight and Alexi McCammond have reported, in Q4 Bloomberg outspent his Democratic rivals and Trump combined — and that’s only going to grow.

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