Michael Bloomberg to Spend $100 Million in Florida to Aid Biden
Michael Bloomberg said he would spend $100 million in Florida to help Biden defeat Donald Trump.
(Bloomberg) -- Michael Bloomberg said Sunday he would spend $100 million in Florida to help Joe Biden defeat President Donald Trump in the crucial battleground, which would allow Democrats to divert money to Pennsylvania and other must-win states.
The money will be spent on voter-turnout efforts, and communicating with Hispanic voters will be a key part of that strategy, a Bloomberg spokesperson said.
Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.
Bloomberg, who endorsed Biden after ending his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in March, is making the pledge as the Cook Political Report on Thursday moved the state from “lean Democrat” to “toss up.”
Biden holds a slim, 1.2 percentage-point advantage over Trump in Florida, according to RealClearPolitics average of recent polls.
It would be difficult for Trump to win re-election without carrying Florida and its 29 electoral votes, especially if he loses Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, all states where Biden is leading. Biden, however, must improve his margin with Latino voters if he expects to carry the state. He’s going to Florida on Tuesday.
Trump shot back with a pair of tweets, suggesting he was surprised by the donation after Bloomberg dropped out of the race following debates where he drew heavy fire from Senator Elizabeth Warren and others. Trump used derogative nicknames for both Bloomberg and Warren.
Since dropping out of the race, Bloomberg has given $18 million in leftover campaign funds to the Democratic National Committee and transferred 13 of his campaign office leases to state parties. He’s also made other donations to help Democrats with voter-registration and anti-voter-suppression campaigns.
“Mike Bloomberg is committed to helping defeat Trump, and that is going to happen in the battleground states,” Kevin Sheekey, senior Bloomberg adviser, said in a statement.
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