Bloomberg courts black voters in Texas
WASHINGTON: US billionaire Michael Bloomberg has launched a charm offensive to convince black voters, an important bloc in Democratic politics, that he is the right candidate to take on President Donald Trump in November.
The former New York mayor rallied supporters in Texas on Thursday, with his sights set on so-called “Super Tuesday” on March 3, when voters in 16 states and territories will cast their ballots in the Democratic primary.
It is Mr Bloomberg’s sixth visit to the Lone Star state since he entered the race to be the party’s presidential candidate.
“This month, we look back and celebrate black history together, because black history is American history,” Mr Bloomberg said at the Buffalo Soldiers museum, named after a Civil War regiment of African-American soldiers, where he kicked off his “Mike for Black America” campaign.
With 19 campaign offices and 150 employees in Texas he now has a larger presence than any other candidate in the state.
Texas is key to the Democratic primaries because it has such a large number of delegates, 228, more than the total of all the other states that vote in February, where the billionaire chose not to run.
If a candidate obtains a majority of delegates, or 1,991, he or she will take on Mr Trump in the presidential election.
Mr Bloomberg has thrown large amounts of money from his personal fortune into the campaign — spending more than US$300 million (about 9 billion baht) across the country and about $29 million in Texas alone.
The 77-year-old’s campaign in the state has focused on black voters, who will be key to deciding the Democratic nomination.
When he first visited Houston at the end of January, Mr Bloomberg spoke of an economic programme aimed at black business people and home-owners.
On Thursday he again apologised for backing arbitrary “stop-and-frisk” searches by the New York police when he was mayor.
“I defended it, looking back, for too long, because I didn’t understand then the unintended pain it was causing to young black and brown families and their kids.”