San Diego Congressman Scott Peters endorsed Mike Bloomberg for President this morning. It’s a crafty endorsement for Peters because Bloomberg is an “outsider” but hardly an “outlier”. Bloomberg was a successful disrputor in the Wall Street information business and built an admirable financial multi0media network. Most recently, Bloomberg served as the 108th Mayor of New York City from 2002-2014.
Peters joins five other Huuse members, including Orange County’s Harley Rouda, and San Diego City Councilman Mark Kersey, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas, Coronado Mayor Pro-Tem Whitney Benzian, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina and 8 other Mayors across the country by endorsing Bloomberg.
Bloomberg’s strategy is to dominate March when the delegate rich states of California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Michigan, Washington, Florida, and Ohio (among toher states) vote. You can’t watch more than 30 minutes of local television without seeing a few Bloomberg advertsements, trolling President Trump or touting his infrastructure plan (which was Trump’s big idea in 2016).
It’s a risky strategy but not a crazy one. Trump proved in 2016 that, by dominating the media, he could gain enough traction in the primaries to lock up the fast lane to the nomination by the end of March. Cruz and Kasich put up a fight but it was all over by April 1, 2016.
Socialists Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren will battle it among radical voters while Bloomberg’s real competition appears to be former Vice President Biden. If Bloomberg splashes big in March, he can make the case that Biden is a long time DC insider and the only way to fight a disruptor (with lots of money) is another disruptor (with lots of money).
Wall Street will back Bloomberg. Business groups will back Bloomberg. Progressives will hate that he “bought” the nomination but eventually fall in line behind him. My bet is that Bloomberg is standing on the debate stage against President Trump in November.
Comments 1
I disagree with your “bet that Bloomberg is standing on the debate stage against President Trump in November.” Quite the opposite. I believe the Soda Pop Taxman will be irrelevant after Super Tuesday.
Polls of the Democratic Party primary voters have not been favorable to Bloomberg. In the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, he is not only not on the ballot but literally polling in last place out of nine candidates with 2% or less. That means he will have no momentum during all the media coverage in those states.
Using that as a baseline, he really hasn’t moved his number much despite over $100 million in ad spending. As lower tier candidates implode, I fully expect many to endorse Sanders, especially if Sanders has large victories in the early states.
In Super Tuesday states, Sanders is far ahead of the other candidates in California, which is 40% of Super Tuesday delegates. A candidate must get 12% of the vote to be awarded any delegates, and currently Soda Pop Taxman is no higher than 6% in several polls. In Texas, he is virtually tied for fourth with Buttigieg at 9%.
The notion that a billionaire with a mind-numbing lack of charisma can prevail over Sanders’ undeniable authenticity is on its face unlikely. Add in Bloomberg has no grassroots while Sanders passionately inspires the heart of the party does not bode well at all for the Soda Pop Taxman getting the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.