Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg spent about $1 billion on his own 100-day failed presidential campaign, and now he’s planning to use his financial acumen to make sure Florida doesn’t vote for President Donald Trump.
Bloomberg announced Sunday that he would spend up to $100 million in the Sunshine State on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, allowing Biden to spend his resources on other battleground states, Politico reported.
“The infusion of cash comes as polls indicate a tightening of the race between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who are deadlocked in a recent Marist Poll, and as Floridians start voting by mail at the end of the month,” the outlet reported. “Biden’s support among Hispanic voters is in double digits yet remains relatively low for a Democrat who wants to carry the state according to surveys of Latinos in Florida and Miami.”
Bloomberg’s money will be spent on digital and TV ads and “communicating with Hispanic voters will be a key part” of the strategy, according to a press release from Bloomberg’s Independence USA political committee issued to The Washington Post.
More from Politico:
Vote-by-mail ballots voters start going out in six days to overseas voters. For domestic voters in the United States, the ballots will start being mailed out Sept. 24. Biden plans to visit Florida on Tuesday, his first trip to the state since the coronavirus lockdowns began in March.
Florida also has an in-person early voting period that varies by county and begins as early as Oct. 19 and ends as late as Nov. 1, two days before Election Day.
As much as 75 percent of Florida’s vote could be cast before Election Day and, because of the way the state tabulates votes, it could be one of the first to report its results, although the state has a history of razor-thin election margins and recounts.
Bloomberg’s money is so far welcome by the Democratic Party, even though some high-profile politicians have denounced the billionaire’s funding in the past. During the Democratic Primary, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who was running against Bloomberg at the time, accused the former mayor of trying to buy the presidential election, Reuters reported.
“Michael Bloomberg is making a bet about democracy in 2020. He doesn’t need people, he only needs bags and bags of money. I think Michael Bloomberg is wrong,” Warren said.
“That’s exactly what’s now in play in 2020 — which vision, which version of our democracy is going to win. If Michael Bloomberg’s version of democracy wins then democracy changes. It’s going to be which billionaire you can stomach,” she added.
Twice-failed presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also denounced Bloomberg’s money.
“He thinks he can buy this election,” Sanders said while still a candidate. “Well, I’ve got news for Mr. Bloomberg — the American people are sick and tired of billionaires buying elections!”
Biden made a tepid denouncement of Bloomberg’s money at the time, saying “$60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can’t erase your record.”