Michael Bloomberg’s quiet campaign for the White House has picked up a heavyweight endorsement.
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., announced on Thursday that she is backing Bloomberg, 77, for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and joining his team as campaign co-chairwoman.
“Mike Bloomberg is the candidate who will unify the country and defeat Donald Trump and has a blueprint to rebuild America and improve the quality of life for all Americans,” Bowser said of the billionaire former mayor New York City in a statement.
“We can resolve our most pressing problems if we have the right leader to turn innovative ideas into reality,” she also shared her endorsement on Twitter. “@MikeBloomberg is a problem-solver with a proven track record of getting things done. He’s a mentor & friend & I’m proud to endorse him for president.”
We can resolve our most pressing problems if we have the right leader to turn innovative ideas into reality@MikeBloomberg is a problem-solver with a proven track record of getting things done. He’s a mentor & friend & I’m proud to endorse him for president. #MikeWillGetItDone pic.twitter.com/40jBr4XxSz
— Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) January 30, 2020
Bloomberg, who is currently under the radar as he skips the four early voting states to focus instead on the 14 Super Tuesday contests on Mar. 3, has been steadily earning high-profile support since announcing his candidacy in November, including Democratic Rep. Max Rose of New York, actor Michael Douglas, and reality TV star Judge Judy Sheindlin.
Bowser’s endorsement may ease some queasiness about Bloomberg’s record with criminal justice issues, namely his use of “stop and frisk” policies in New York City. The media mogul and philanthropist has apologized for introducing and defending the measures, which involved stopping and detaining people for a short period of time to check if they had illegal weapons or other contraband. Critics complain the approach had a disproportionate effect on blacks and Latinos.
During a trip to D.C. last week for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Bloomberg came out in support of statehood for the district.
“This city’s future is brighter than ever — and a lot of credit goes to my good friend Mayor Muriel Bowser,” he said. “She is doing a terrific job, and I hope someday soon we’ll be calling her Gov. Bowser.”
In front of the US Conference of Mayors today, I voiced my support for DC to become a state — with full voting rights. And as president, I’ll work with Congress to make it happen. pic.twitter.com/Gic4MxXbeM
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) January 23, 2020
Despite the last-minute nature of his White House bid, Bloomberg is already polling ahead of rivals like former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, with an average of 7.8% support nationwide, according to RealClearPolitics data. His surge in the polls has been buoyed by his spending more than $250 million on advertising around the country, including for a seven-figure spot during this weekend’s Super Bowl.
