WASHINGTON (AP) – Here are the latest developments from the 2016 race for president, one week out from the Iowa caucuses. All times local.
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9:15 a.m.
Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton says former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg won’t need to run for president because she’ll win the Democratic nomination.
The former secretary of state said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that as she understands Bloomberg’s statement, he’ll consider running if Clinton does not win the nomination. She said Sunday that she’ll “relieve” him of that decision by winning the nomination.
Clinton is locked in a competitive contest against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with a week to go until the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses.
People familiar with his plans say Bloomberg is taking preliminary steps toward an independent run and has set a March deadline for the decision. The sources told The Associated Press that if Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, the former mayor is not likely to challenge her in a general election.
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8:30 a.m.
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders says he’ll win the race for president if former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg becomes an independent candidate for the White House.
The Vermont senator tells CBS’ “Face the Nation” that a battle between Bloomberg and Donald Trump, two New York billionaires, would favor Sanders’ upstart Democratic campaign in a general election.
First, Sanders would have to win the Democratic presidential nomination against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump would have to triumph over his Republican rivals. And Bloomberg would have to actually launch an independent bid for president, something he threatened to do on Saturday. The voting in the major-party nominating contests begins in a week, with the Feb. 1 Iowa Caucuses.