Michael Bloomberg, the multi-billionaire considering a 2020 Democratic presidential run, is already tied in a national poll with Kamala Harris, the California senator who has spent the better part of a year seeking her party’s nod.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey released Friday found the former New York mayor registering 3% support nationally, as much as Harris, 55, who declared her candidacy in early January.
The poll was conducted from Nov. 12-14, days after Bloomberg, 77, filed to have his name on the Alabama and Arkansas ballots along with other Democratic contenders. The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses from 2,235 adults, with a margin of error of about 4%.
The survey found that a Bloomberg candidacy would pull supporters from former Vice President Joe Biden. When Bloomberg was not included as a choice, Biden received 23% support. But when Bloomberg’s name was included, Biden, a 36-year senator of Delaware, tied Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 19% support.
Falling behind Biden and Sanders is Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who polled at 13% and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who took 6% support.
Should Bloomberg join the crowded field, he would have to quickly carve out a path for himself given how late of an addition his entrance would be. The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Monday, Feb. 3, and the New Hampshire primary for Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Name recognition would be one obstacle for Bloomberg. The poll found that 49% of Democrats are familiar with who he is, a number that dwindles to 46% when the whole American electorate is included.
Among Americans who know Bloomberg, only 41% have a favorable view of the billionaire. That ticks a bit higher to 57% when only Democrats who know of him were asked the same question.
A RealClearPolitics average of national polls shows that Biden and Warren enjoy more support than the recent survey found. Biden leads the group at 26%, and Warren trails him with 20.8% support.
[Read more: ‘All kinds of shifting’: Warren looks to avoid another 2020 Kamality]
