This Wall Street Journal article and the comments make me think millions of Republican voters who hate Trump will vote for Bloomberg.

OPINION

REVIEW & OUTLOOK

The Water’s Fine, Mr. Bloomberg

The former New York mayor could be a strong Democratic nominee.

By The Editorial Board

November 8, 2019

The news that Michael Bloomberg might compete for the Democratic presidential nomination is causing consternation on the political left. But that’s all the more reason to welcome his candidacy to challenge a vulnerable President Trump next year.

“Memo to Bloomberg: Democratic Voters Don’t Want More Candidates” blared a headline Thursday night on the left-wing Huffington Post urging the former New York Mayor to stay out. The piece was the first we saw of what will be many lecturing Democratic voters that they should be happy with their field and don’t need a billionaire. But if that’s true, then the party’s progressives have nothing to worry about.

The truth they don’t want to admit is that the Democrats now leading in the primary polls have major vulnerabilities. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren want to blow up American capitalism and replace it with their top-down, socialist designs. Their agenda might scare suburban voters more than four more years of Mr. Trump does.

Joe Biden often stumbles with his words on the stump and can’t escape the Ukraine imbroglio if impeachment goes to a Senate trial. He’s also low on money. Pete Buttigieg is a glib and clever 37-year-old, but his only political experience is as the mediocre mayor of a small and struggling city. Kamala Harris has been exposed as unprepared for the national stage and is running on her identity far more than ideas. Others like Amy Klobuchar have appeal as potential Presidents, but they haven’t shown they can attract a large primary following.

No wonder Mr. Bloomberg thinks he might have a chance. As three-term mayor of New York, he has more executive experience than anyone of the field. As a successful entrepreneur, he understands the private economy better than any candidate other than John Delaney, also a former CEO. Those would both be significant campaign assets against Mr. Trump in a general election.

His bigger challenge would be getting the Democratic nomination. Success in business is a liability on the Democratic left that is increasingly detached from the private economy and wealth creation. Progressives resent his wealth more than see it as a sign of ability.

Mr. Bloomberg also clashed with the teachers unions by promoting charter schools and teacher accountability in New York. And his stellar record in reducing crime, including support for such policies as stop-and-frisk, isn’t popular with the social-justice left.

On the other hand, Mr. Bloomberg is no conservative. He is a down-the-line cultural liberal, he has become the leading national financier for candidates who support gun control, and he is a zealot on climate change who would regulate coal out of business (we’re not sure about natural gas). None of these would be obstacles in the Democratic primaries.

The main reason to welcome Mr. Bloomberg into the race is to shake up what has become a stagnant Democratic contest and give voters another choice. He has the money to educate the public about the folly of Medicare for All and other progressive dreams. Though at age 77 he’s a generational peer of Mr. Biden and would compete for some of the same voters, Mr. Bloomberg appears more vigorous.

As is his habit, Mr. Trump dismissed Mr. Bloomberg’s chances on Friday, saying “there’s nobody I’d rather run against than Little Michael.” But behind that familiar bluster, Mr. Trump knows (or should know) that he is in real danger of losing re-election.

Mr. Trump has never expanded his support beyond his base and by conventional measures for an incumbent he is the underdog. His average job approval is under 44% and millions of swing voters want an alternative who looks like a stable, safe choice. They’d also like a Democratic nominee who doesn’t want to hand over another 10% or 20% of the private economy to the federal government.

Mr. Bloomberg’s views and background are heterodox enough that as President he might even be able to break up some of the calcified status quo. The primaries would test if Mr. Bloomberg could be that candidate, which may be what Mr. Trump really fears.