Third-party group may consider Bloomberg

WASHINGTON, June 24 (UPI) -- A group promoting a third-party candidacy in the 2008 presidential race would consider New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg if he runs, an organizer said.

Actor Sam Waterston, a member of Unity '08, told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday the group has talked about Bloomberg as a possible candidate.

Bloomberg, who changed his party registration from Democratic to Republican to run for mayor in 2001, recently changed again, from Republican to unaffiliated.

Waterston, known to viewers of the NBC crime drama "Law & Oder" as Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy, said Unity '08 members will have the final say on which candidate they might back.

"The thing is that the people in an online convention will decide who the candidate's going to be," he said.

Waterston acknowledged it will be an uphill battle to get a third-party candidate on the ballot in all 50 states, but he said polls suggest voters want a choice.

"Fifty-seven percent of the people are now welcoming the idea of a third-party candidate while the Congress and the president compete with the low 20s."

Coincidentally, Fred Thompson, who played Waterston's boss on "Law & Order," has left the show to explore a run for the Republican presidential nomination.