Karin Gallet

Here’s what the Michael Bloomberg-for-president crowd thinks of yesterday's primary results, according to Andrew MacRae, a drafter who was handing out this flier to voters in D.C. yesterday.

MacRae emails:  read more »

Karin Gallet is leaving Michael Bloomberg alone.

I emailed Gallet earlier to get her thoughts on Arnold Schwarzenegger's endorsement of John McCain, and Bloomberg's latest denials about the race. I thought she would give me an argument about why Bloomberg is still the best choice.

Surprisingly, she wrote:  read more »

The woman spearheading the effort to draft Michael Bloomberg into the presidential election is pleased that former Democrat, current Independent Joe Lieberman has endorsed Republican John McCain.

“If you think about it, the argument can be made that McCain is quite the long shot,” Karin Gallet told me. Gallet thinks Lieberman is basically saying, “it’s more important we endorse the right person than just elect a Democrat.”

“That’s his demographic. That the purpose of voting [within one's] party hasn’t achieved the objective of running America.”

Gallet also said a national campaign strategist from a 2004 election will announce their support for Bloomberg later this week, if not sooner. Gallet, who declined to identify this person, said she learned of the endorsement during a more than hour-long conference call on Sunday with Bloomberg supporters in New York, Washington D.C., and Boston.

On the heels of the latest speculation about Michael Bloomberg as both a presidential and vice-presidential candidate, Karin Gallet, self-appointed organizer of the Draft Bloomberg movement, has launched a new web site.

The new site, Unite for Mike, features a poll asking visitors why they want Bloomberg for president. As of 7:30 a.m., there were 44 votes.  read more »

Just as new poll numbers revive speculation that Michael Bloomberg could successfully run for governor of New York in 2010, someone who wants to see Bloomberg run for another, higher office emailed this photo to fellow supporters.

It shows Bloomberg, top advisor Kevin Sheekey and the mayor's girlfriend Diana Taylor meeting Karin Gallet, an organizer in the movement to draft Bloomberg into the presidential race. The meeting took place after Bloomberg's public interview with Tom Brokaw at Cooper Union late last month.

While Bloomberg has talked down his interest in that race, he has demonstrated a willingness at least to be photographed for the cause.

A group trying to draft Michael Bloomberg to run for president is going forward with its weekly beer-fueled meeting tonight at the Old Town - with a guest speaker from the Independence Party - despite most politicians' aversion to activity this day, the sixth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Karin Gallet, organizer of the group in New York, told me via email:

"You know, I thought about it when I realized it fell on 9/11~and decided to go ahead, even thought it might affect the turnout, because Old Town on Tuesday has already become a small bit of NYC tradition. And, in a small way, it's how we celebrate New York with something that, we hope, is meaningful."

Speaking to the group tonight will be Michael Zumbluskas, executive committee member of the state’s Independence Party and Acting Treasurer of Independence Party of America. According to the Draft Bloomberg group, Zumbluskas is “a major league political consultant to many independent and third party candidates including Ross Perot and Tom Golisano. He has held offices in United We State America of New York, the Reform Party and the Independence Party.”

Here's the mayor with Gail Parker, a member of the group that's trying to draft Bloomberg to run for president. Another supporter told me that this unusual picture, which is posted on the group's web site, was taken in D.C.

Bloomberg has denied having any serious interest in the job, and has for the most part kept his distance in public from his presidential boosters.

Last night I sat in on a weekly meeting at the Old Town of a small group of New Yorkers trying to draft Michael Bloomberg to run for president.

They’re a pretty dedicated bunch, and they're optimistic about what they see as barely-hidden signals that he will indeed run.

In the clip above, supporter Jennifer Pinto, a real estate agent and self-described liberal Democrat, addresses the small issue of the mayor's denials of any intention to run.

Supporters Simpson Grey and Joe Havelka respond by pointing to Bloomberg’s track record.

(TECH NOTE: Despite the scary, night-vision look of the footage, the subjects were aware I was filming and were never in any danger. Relatedly, despite what it may look like, it was actually dark out when this was shot.)