Michael Bloomberg and Tulsi Gabbard got their first taste of success this 2020 Democratic presidential primary, picking up delegates in American Samoa.
The tiny U.S. territory offered White House hopefuls six delegates to take to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this summer. With 99% of precincts reporting, Bloomberg, the billionaire New York City mayor, had 49.9% of the vote and at least four of those delegates. At the same time, the Hawaiian representative had 29.3% support and at least one delegate.
Bloomberg, 78, will be buoyed by the win as he contests Super Tuesday, his inaugural time being on a ballot this cycle.
But the information services entrepreneur and philanthropist may be worried about his return on investment, having spent more than $400 million since he announced his candidacy last November and building out a staff of 2,000 across the country, dwarfing his competitors. To put that into context, he had seven full-time staff members working on the Pacific island, which has a population of 55,641.
Gabbard’s performance is also a game changer for her. The 38-year-old’s clinching of a single delegate, although not setting her on a path toward the Oval Office, means she could qualify for the next debate in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 15, unless the Democratic National Committee changes the rules.
DNC spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa, however, indicated that would likely be the case.
“We have two more debates — of course the threshold will go up. By the time we have the March debate, almost 2,000 delegates will be allocated. The threshold will reflect where we are in the race, as it always has,” Hinojosa tweeted.
We have two more debates– of course the threshold will go up. By the time we have the March debate, almost 2,000 delegates will be allocated. The threshold will reflect where we are in the race, as it always has.
— Xochitl Hinojosa (@XochitlHinojosa) March 4, 2020
