Biden’s appeal to the white working class and moderates puts him squarely in the path of possible candidates like former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe — and it’s coloring their deliberations about the race…

“Terry has probably 25 percent of the major fundraisers and bundlers in the country waiting on him,” Korge said, estimating that McAuliffe could raise $60 million from them in the opening months of a campaign. “But maybe three quarters of the donors saying they’re sitting out because of Biden might not be there for him if he ran. They’re using him as an excuse.”…

Bloomberg had planned to announce his intentions last month and then postponed it to this month, leading to speculation that Biden’s presence was causing a delay — a position denied by Bloomberg aides. They say that, contrary to conventional wisdom in progressive circles, there’s a relatively broad base of moderate Democratic voters in the primary who won’t vote against a candidate simply for being a white male.