Michael Bloomberg’s first 2020 Democratic primary debate was never going to be a pleasant experience for him.
Sure enough, the mogul’s shaky performance in Nevada has left him on the back foot before he’s even competed in a nominating contest. But that doesn’t mean he’s injured fatally politically, or even hurt that badly, debate experts say.
From the opening question during the Nevada debate, Bloomberg’s Democratic rivals jumped at the opportunity to pummel him for his record before the billionaire former New York City mayor appears on ballots and caucus cards on March 3, or Super Tuesday.
His competitors’ efforts to strike a blow to his candidacy, propped up by more than $400 million worth of advertising and limited press availability, seemed to work, at least in the short term. They tag-teamed their criticism of him on a range of issues, including sexual harassment claims at his financial information and news company, his stance on discriminatory policies such as stop and frisk and redlining, as well as his immense wealth.
Bloomberg had foreshadowed his strategy of confronting Joe Biden for simply delivering “speeches that somebody writes for him” and Pete Buttigieg for being “mayor of a town,” both of whom he’s vying for the center-left lane. But his campaign manager Kevin Sheekey equivocated somewhat late Wednesday after the debate, acknowledging his principal’s rocky start.
“It took Mike just 3 months to build a stronger campaign than the rest of the field had built in more than a year. It took him just 45 minutes in his first debate in 10 years to get his legs on the stage,” Sheekey wrote in a statement.
While touting Bloomberg’s takedown of Bernie Sanders for being a millionaire socialist with three houses, Sheekey added, “He was just warming up tonight. We fully expect Mike will continue to build on tonight’s performance when he appears on the stage in South Carolina next Tuesday.”
Other good moments for Bloomberg included his reply to a question over whether billionaires should exist and telling former Vice President Joe Biden to be quiet so he could “finish” his thought.
[Read more: Bloomberg: Trump was ‘the real winner of the debate’]
But for Paul Hayes, George Washington University’s director of debate, Bloomberg came across as unprepared, which “surprised” him “given his resources” and how “most of the punches he took were entirely predictable.” Hayes told the Washington Examiner the best example was the philanthropist’s reaction to allegations of sexism at Bloomberg LP.
“For charges of this nature, you generally want to stick the landing on your first response, provide a complete response, and hope that you can ride out additional attacks by recycling the same language and demeanor so that the conversation doesn’t have anywhere else to go,” he said via email.
Hayes continued, “[Elizabeth] Warren brilliantly pounced on this incomplete response, exposed its inadequacies, and as a result, the discussion stretched out into a damaging exchange in which Bloomberg appeared as if he was struggling to choose the right words on the spot, in the process opening more doors for his opponents than he was closing.”
Aaron Kall, University of Michigan’s director of debate, agreed Bloomberg stumbled in Nevada compared to his past debates as a mayoral contender, the impression exacerbated when contrasted against the rest of the pack who were participating in their ninth debate of the election cycle.
After this Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, Kall predicted Bloomberg’s rivals will reprise their scrutiny ahead of the Feb. 29 first-in-the-South primary in South Carolina unless the moderators steer the dialogue in another direction. With the benefit of hindsight, Kall also asked whether it was a mistake for the mayor’s team to delay debating until so close to Super Tuesday.
“He’s got a unique advantage in that after a poor debate performance others have to hit the campaign trail and really do a lot of retail politicking to try and make it up, but because he can saturate the airwaves so much he could be in a better position to rebound than others,” he told the Washington Examiner.
“In the grand scheme, a lot more people are going to see his constant advertisements than actually took the time to see the gaffes at the debate,” Kall said.
Some prominent supporters agree, endorsing Bloomberg early Thursday morning.
“Mike and I have worked together for years in New York, and whether it’s homeland security or gun safety, there’s no one you can depend on more to get important initiatives over the finish line,” retiring New York Rep. Nita Lowey wrote.
