Bloomberg not to spend on Sanders campaign
Former New York mayor pins hopes on picking up enough delegates to blunt Sanders’ rise
San Francisco, Feb. 28: Billionaire Mike Bloomberg said Thursday that he might not spend money to assist Bernie Sanders if Sanders is the Democratic presidential nominee, days after a Sanders adviser said they wouldn't want the help.
Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver said Tuesday that it would be a “hard no” on accepting Bloomberg’s financial assistance. “What do you mean, I’m going to send a check to somebody and they’re not going to cash the check? I think I wouldn't bother to send the check,” Bloomberg said on Thursday.
That’s a different answer than he gave the night before in a CNN town hall, when he was asked specifically if he would give financial help to Sanders despite his adviser’s comments. He committed that he would keep campaign offices open in battleground states so whoever is the nominee can use them.
The back-and-forth is part of a larger escalation between the two campaigns as a slew of
Tuesday primaries approach, marking the first time Bloomberg will appear on ballots. Fourteen states vote on “Super Tuesday,” and Bloomberg is hoping he can pick up enough delegates to blunt Sanders’ rise.
Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, is worth an estimated $60 billion, wealth built from the financial data and media company he started in the 1980s. He’s already spent more than $500 million on his presidential campaign.
But he’s pledged to pay to keep campaign offices open and staffed in general election battleground states through the fall. “I said that I would help, I'm going to keep our campaign offices, the main ones anyways, open until November 3,” Bloomberg said. “And if they don’t want to use them, then fine. Then we’ll close them.” Asked to clarify the campaign’s position, Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said “we’ll see” on whether Bloomberg spends on Sanders' behalf.