Over the past few weeks, many in the Democratic Party had publicly called out former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg for his lack of financial commitment to help Joe Biden beat President Donald Trump in November. Bloomberg had vowed to open up his personal fortune to help defeat Trump but his lack of financial contributions since he dropped out of the Democratic primary in March had raised eyebrows among Democrats. Now Bloomberg is finally making good on his commitment and has decided he will focus his efforts on the key state of Florida, vowing to spend at least $100 million to help Biden win the Sunshine State.
Bloomberg’s commitment to spend big in the swing state known for having expensive media markets comes as polls show a tightening of the race between Trump and Biden in Florida. On Thursday, the Cook Political Report shifted the state from “lean Democrat” to “toss up.” Florida is seen as a must win for Trump if he has any hope of reaching the 270 electoral votes needed to win reelection. “Mike Bloomberg is committed to helping defeat Trump, and that is going to happen in the battleground states,” Bloomberg senior adviser Kevin Sheekey said in a statement. “Mike’s substantial investment in Florida, in addition to his contributions to the DNC and to voter protection and restoration efforts this cycle, will mean Democrats and the Biden campaign can invest even more heavily in other key states like Pennsylvania, which will be critical to a Biden victory.”
Biden plans to visit Florida on Tuesday in what will be his first trip to the state since the coronavirus lockdowns began in March. Ballots will start to be mailed out later this month and in-person early voting in the state is a little more than a month away meaning that timing is critical for Democrats. “Voting starts on Sept. 24 in Florida so the need to inject real capital in that state quickly is an urgent need,” Sheekey said. News of the cash infusion comes on the same day as Biden campaign senior adviser Symone Sanders acknowledged the campaign has “work to do” to appeal to Latino voters.
Bloomberg’s commitment to spend big in Florida caught Trump’s attention on Sunday and the president sent out a tweet attacking the former mayor. “I thought Mini Mike was through with Democrat politics after spending almost 2 Billion Dollars, and then giving the worst and most inept Debate Performance in the history of Presidential Politics,” Trump tweeted.
