Michael Bloomberg requests Tennessee presidential ballot petition

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s top election officials say Michael Bloomberg has requested a petition that would require securing 2,500 signatures from registered voters in less than a month if he wants to qualify for the state’s Democratic presidential primary ballot.

The secretary of state’s office confirmed Wednesday that Bloomberg requested the ballot petition earlier this week.

Tennessee has two ways to qualify for a presidential primary ballot. Either the secretary of state deems the candidate as “nationally recognized” or candidates can submit 2,500 signatures by Dec. 3.

The billionaire former New York City mayor has said he’s considering seeking the Democratic nomination but has not made a decision.

If he runs, Bloomberg plans to skip campaigning in the traditional early voting states and focus more on Super Tuesday states, which include Tennessee.