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brooklynite

(94,803 posts)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 02:40 PM Jan 2020

Bloomberg creates a parallel presidential race. Can he win?

AP News

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — When the leading Democratic presidential candidates marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day by linking arms and marching through South Carolina’s capital, Michael Bloomberg was nowhere near the early primary state.

The former New York mayor was instead in Arkansas, tossing out candy at a King Day parade and enjoying his status as the only presidential hopeful in town.

“Mike Boomerang?” a woman asked, as the billionaire businessman walked by.

“Mike Bloomberg,” a supporter clarified. “He’s running for president.”

Bloomberg is running, but he’s on his own track, essentially creating a parallel race to the nomination with no precedent. While his competitors are hunkered down in the four states with the earliest primaries, Bloomberg is almost everywhere else — a Minnesota farm, a Utah co-working space, an office opening in Maine. He’s staked his hopes on states like Texas, California and Arkansas that vote on March 3, aiming to disrupt the Democratic primary right around the time it’s typically settling on a front-runner. Or, should Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, be that front-runner, Bloomberg could be a backstop to Democrats still looking for a moderate choice.

Skipping the early voting states and banking on success in later delegate-rich contests has never been done successfully. But no candidate has ever brought the financial firepower that Bloomberg can — he is worth an estimated $60 billion and has already spent more than $200 million building a campaign in more than two dozen states, taking him well past Super Tuesday.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Bloomberg creates a parallel presidential race. Can he win? (Original Post) brooklynite Jan 2020 OP
He is doing a great job attacking tRump but not sure if he will make the cut yaesu Jan 2020 #1
And he says he will keep pouring in money to support whoever is the nominee. DanTex Jan 2020 #3
I think he said he would do that if Sanders or Warren was the nominee. JustABozoOnThisBus Jan 2020 #6
Bloomberg is attacking Trump left-of-center2012 Jan 2020 #2
I've read Bloomberg not fond of warren or sanders but I think he hurts Biden's chances more by lunasun Jan 2020 #4
Yeah, I find it really confusing. Kentonio Jan 2020 #5
I don't know. David__77 Jan 2020 #7
Maybe Kentonio Jan 2020 #10
"Can he win?" myohmy2 Jan 2020 #8
Bloomberg's door opens if this isn't wrapped on Super Tuesday Algernon Moncrieff Jan 2020 #9
Doubtful, the 15% threshhold for delegates will be his problem Amishman Jan 2020 #11
I see more ads for Bloomberg than for Biden Algernon Moncrieff Jan 2020 #12
 

yaesu

(8,020 posts)
1. He is doing a great job attacking tRump but not sure if he will make the cut
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 02:43 PM
Jan 2020

just glad he's putting his money to good use.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

DanTex

(20,709 posts)
3. And he says he will keep pouring in money to support whoever is the nominee.
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 02:59 PM
Jan 2020

If he does that, I'm all in favor.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

JustABozoOnThisBus

(23,375 posts)
6. I think he said he would do that if Sanders or Warren was the nominee.
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 07:17 PM
Jan 2020

With no mention of Joe, Pete, or Amy.

But, I hope he supports "whoever", because "whoever" certainly has my vote in Nov.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
2. Bloomberg is attacking Trump
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 02:51 PM
Jan 2020

People could learn from that.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

lunasun

(21,646 posts)
4. I've read Bloomberg not fond of warren or sanders but I think he hurts Biden's chances more by
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 03:36 PM
Jan 2020

running.
I am happy for his nonstop blitz against trump and I never thought about how his cash may help down ticket candidates with endorsements so thanks for the read.
Hope he does really back the final dem nominee
Hopefully, no sour grapes , but if nothing else I bet he keeps on the anti trump path til Nov

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Kentonio

(4,377 posts)
5. Yeah, I find it really confusing.
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 06:46 PM
Jan 2020

The anti-Trump TV money is great, but I just don’t see any scenario where him being in the race hurts Bernie or Liz in any way whatsoever unless he turns his ad money against them (which would be incredibly dangerous for the party).

Surely all he does is split the Biden vote?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

David__77

(23,559 posts)
7. I don't know.
Wed Jan 29, 2020, 12:32 AM
Jan 2020

I don’t think things are so solid in terms of voting blocs as some may think. This left-right dichotomy stuff is way overplayed.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Kentonio

(4,377 posts)
10. Maybe
Wed Jan 29, 2020, 05:10 AM
Jan 2020

But really how many votes is a billionaire who supported Bush really going to take from Bernie?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

myohmy2

(3,182 posts)
8. "Can he win?"
Wed Jan 29, 2020, 12:45 AM
Jan 2020

...no

...

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Algernon Moncrieff

(5,794 posts)
9. Bloomberg's door opens if this isn't wrapped on Super Tuesday
Wed Jan 29, 2020, 02:00 AM
Jan 2020

If this turns into a slog that plays out until June, he will look to spend his way into winning the late races and play for a brokered convention. Maybe to win. More likely to play Kingmaker.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Amishman

(5,559 posts)
11. Doubtful, the 15% threshhold for delegates will be his problem
Wed Jan 29, 2020, 09:01 AM
Jan 2020

Less than 15% and he gets zero delegates from a state.

Nationality he is averaging 8% right now, and not much better in the super Tuesday states.

He needs to grow his support by at least 50% in six weeks with no momentum help from the four early states where he isn't on the ballot. I don't see it happening.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Algernon Moncrieff

(5,794 posts)
12. I see more ads for Bloomberg than for Biden
Thu Jan 30, 2020, 02:14 AM
Jan 2020

...and Bloomberg really isn't running in Iowa.

In roughly this order, I see ads for

Sanders
Steyer
Yang
Mayor Pete
Warren
Bloomberg
Klobuchar (literally just started)

I don't dislike his odds as much as you do. Time will tell.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
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