The Woman Who Wrote Bloomberg’s Biography Gets Candid About His 2020 Run
Eleanor Randolph shared her thoughts on the former New York City mayor’s candidacy and his first debate performance
Many American voters are just getting to know Michael Bloomberg, the businessman-turned-New York City mayor-turned-philanthropist-turned-presidential candidate who debuted on the Democratic debate stage on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. But Eleanor Randolph has had a front-row seat to just about every stage of his career.
The former New York Times journalist reported on Bloomberg for years before writing his biography, The Many Lives of Michael Bloomberg, which came out last September. She has spent years grappling with the former mayor’s legacies on stop and frisk, homelessness, public health, sexual harassment, and how his philanthropy has helped — and muzzled — charitable and political causes around the city and the country. For a few days before the debate, a rise in the polls made Bloomberg look poised to take on the rest of the field; but a bruising performance cast doubt on that possibility.
GEN caught up with Randolph the morning after the debate to talk about how Bloomberg did (badly), whether he’ll make it to another debate (questionable), and the off-chance that he’d take…
