A Bloomberg entry into the race could throw the whole presidential process into chaos. Bloomberg could alienate the left and right wings of the country: his close ties to Wall Street would alienate the left, and his ardent support for gun control would alienate the right. But if the party nominees were Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders – two of the most polarizing and play-to-the-base nominees in American history – there could be a vast lane of voters in the center of the electorate who would be unrepresented by the party nominees and open to an independent Bloomberg candidacy.

Presented with a scenario where Bloomberg enters due to Sen. Bernie Sanders winning early Democratic primary states, and Trump dominating the Republican field, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol told The Daily Beast that he and other conservatives would recruit a fourth candidate.

“And a Weekly Standard/National Review pro-Constitution, pro-life, hawkish candidate could win. Working on who that would be,” Kristol said, citing “quiet and very preliminary discussions” that he has had with other conservatives.