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Bloomberg: I'm Not Running For President

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Mayor Bloomberg is saying thanks, but no thanks to a committee in Washington trying to get him to run for president as a third-party candidate in 2012.

But the mayor once again reiterated that he had no intentions of running for the highest office in the land, 1010 WINS' Stan Brooks reported.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS' Stan Brooks reports
LISTEN: WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reports

"I am not running for President of the United States. I have the best job in the world. It's a job, hopefully I can do well," Bloomberg said.

"There's not going to be a third-party candidate, I assume, but if there is, it's not going to be me. I am not running."

The Committee to Draft Michael Bloomberg said they were not discouraged by the mayor's comments.

"We believe that Michael Bloomberg is in an ideal position to create a viable third party for our nation," Gail Parker, a draft-committee director, told the Wall Street Journal.

"Don't they all start out and say, 'No! I'm not going to run,'" Parker told the paper.

However, Bloomberg said he was happy just serving out his third term as mayor of New York City.

"The public seems happy with the job this administration is doing...generally speaking, I think we're making progress in this city," the mayor told reporters Thursday.

When asked why he had been touring the country speaking on issues of national significance, Bloomberg replied that he simply had the responsibility to do it and to help the president, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.

"Even if you don't like him, everybody's got a responsibility to help President Obama guide this country through some very tough times," Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg suggested that instead of going to the White House following his third term, he would go on a short vacation.

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