Mike Bloomberg took another step Tuesday toward entering the race for president — personally traveling to Arkansas to file paperwork to appear on the state’s primary ballot.
The move comes just days after Bloomberg’s aides filed paperwork for the billionaire businessman to be on the ballot in Alabama — another state with early registration deadlines.
Despite the latest ballot filing, the former three-term New York mayor stopped short of confirming a 2020 run.
“We had to register in Alabama and here because of the time frames,” Bloomberg told reporters in Little Rock. “It doesn’t mean that we’re going to run, but we do it to make sure we are on the ballot if we do run.”
He refused to answer a question about when a final decision may come, except to say, “We’re getting close.”
Bloomberg was greeted warmly by the state’s Democratic Party officials, especially since he’s the only candidate so far to personally appear in Arkansas to file paperwork.
“Mayor Bloomberg got a real good reception,” Jacob Kauffman, the Arkansas Democratic Party’s political director, told The Post. “People were grateful that he came in person.”
While in Little Rock, he dined with the city’s Democratic mayor, Frank Scott Jr.
Bloomberg’s trip down South plays into the strategy of his potential White House bid, said spokesman Jason Schechter.
“If Mike runs, he’s going to go to states that Democratic candidates don’t often visit. That starts today in Little Rock,” Schechter said.
Sources have told The Post that Bloomberg plans to blow off the first two Democratic contests — in Iowa and New Hampshire — to focus on Nevada, South Carolina and primaries in March.
Arkansas has been GOP turf for a generation. Former President Bill Clinton, a native of Arkansas, who served at the state’s governor, was the last Democrat to carry the state when he won his White House re-election bid in 1996.
Bloomberg’s possible bid got good reviews from two key Democrats back in New York.
“I’ve worked with Mike, I like Mike,” Gov. Cuomo told NY1 on Tuesday. “Democracy, anybody can run, and then we’ll see what happens.”
But Cuomo added: “Some people think he’s gonna win, some people think that he’s a destructive force in the Democratic primary, time will tell . . . I have no crystal ball.”
Suffolk County’s top Democrat also gave Bloomberg plaudits.
“Mike Bloomberg entering the race would be a great thing for the Democratic Party,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, though he stopped short of an endorsement. “His candidacy would be a positive.”
But while Bloomberg may enjoy some local party support, a spat of polls show he’d have his work cut out for him in the fiercely contested field. In a Morning Consult poll released on Sunday, Bloomberg garnered just 4 percent support from Democratic primary voters.
Additional reporting by Kenneth Garger