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Bloomberg Discussed VP Slot With Andrew Yang, Report Says

   DailyWire.com
Andrew Yang, founder of Venture for America and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, gestures while speaking during the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Summer Meeting in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Friday, Aug. 23, 2019.
Photo by Michael Short/Bloomberg via Getty Images

According to The Wall Street Journal, former New York mayor and current Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has spoken to former presidential candidate Andrew Yang about not only giving Bloomberg an endorsement, but the possibility that Yang could run on the ticket with Bloomberg if Bloomberg gets the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Journal reported:

Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has made overtures to Democrat Andrew Yang, courting the former candidate’s endorsement and floating the possibility of Mr. Yang becoming his running mate, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

Aides to the former New York City mayor reached out to discuss ways the two entrepreneurs-turned-politicians could work together as Mr. Bloomberg seeks the Democratic nomination, these people said.

Mr. Yang, who dropped out of the race earlier this month, didn’t third person familiar with the discussions said.

Mr. Yang didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A senior Bloomberg aide said Mr. Yang wasn’t being seriously considered to be the former mayor’s running mate if he secured the nomination.

Yang responded to the Wall Street Journal story on CNN, saying, “What I can say is multiple campaigns have reached out, and it’s flattering to be considered for a VP role or any role in someone’s campaign. I made clear to every other candidate that I ran on a set of issues, automation of jobs, an evolving economy that we need to humanize, and a dividend of a thousand dollars a month for every American, and I said that if a candidate were to make a significant commitment in those directions, then I’d be much more enthusiastic about considering an endorsement.”

CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked, “So you didn’t really indicate yes or no to anybody on anything other than these are the issues I care about; I would like to see those issues.”

Yang responded, “I probably said a couple of things: number one, I will support whoever the nominee is, and number two, I am very enthusiastic about having the democratic process play out and decide who the nominee is. But also, if someone decides to support the ideas that were central to my campaign, that would go a long way towards making me consider an endorsement …”

In November, Yang expressed his doubts that Bloomberg could mount a competitive campaign despite his vast wealth, telling CNN, “I’m friendly with Mike, and he’s a great philanthropist, was a really stellar mayor. But I will say it’s going to be very, very difficult for him to jump in right now and somehow replace the thousands of conversations that many of the candidates have had with voters in New Hampshire and Iowa and around the country with ad buys.”

Politico added, “Yang added that ‘there are limits to what money can do,’ and predicted Bloomberg is ‘going to have his work cut out for him’ if he joins the pack of 17 Democratic candidates vying to challenge President Donald Trump in next year’s general election.”

Yang said a Bloomberg candidacy is “probably going to change the price of advertising” for other Democratic campaigns, adding, “certainly Mike has a very valuable perspective to offer.”

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