Bloomberg targets five states, spending big to register voters
WASHINGTON — As he moves toward a presidential announcement, New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg is rolling out plans to spend an estimated $15 million to $20 million on a voterregistration drive designed to weaken President Donald Trump’s reelection chances in five battleground states.
News of the large investment, confirmed by Bloomberg’s team Wednesday, comes less than a week after the former New York City mayor unveiled a $100 million online advertising campaign attacking Trump in four general election swing states as well.
The new effort will target 500,000 voters from traditionally underrepresented groups that typically lean Democratic, including African Americans, Latinos, Asians, young voters and those living in some rural communities. The drive will begin early next year in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and
Wisconsin, but could expand to more states.
The move marks another significant show of financial force demonstrating Bloomberg’s ability to run what senior adviser Howard Wolfson described as parallel campaigns over the coming year.
Bloomberg has already filed paperwork to qualify for presidential primary ballots in three states. The 77-year-old former Republican and independent, who formally registered as a Democrat just last year, is expected to make a formal announcement about his 2020 intentions in the coming days.
The new voter registration drive targets voters across five states that Trump won in 2016 largely by narrow margins. The Republican president carried Michigan and Wisconsin by less than 1 point and Arizona and North Carolina by 3 points. The exception is Texas, where Trump scored a 9-point victory, but where Democrats are increasingly hopeful that demographic shifts backed by California transplants will make the state more competitive next year.