Michael Bloomberg (D) is opening a campaign office in Concord, New Hampshire, and hiring “nearly a dozen” staffers — news that follows the conclusion of Tuesday’s primary in the Granite State, where the billionaire did not even appear on the ballot.
The former New York City mayor, whose name did not appear on the state’s primary ballot, is setting his sights on New Hampshire following Tuesday’s primary race. He is opening up a campaign office in the state’s capital and hiring “nearly a dozen staffers as part of his general election efforts against President Trump,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
According to Dan Kanninen, Bloomberg’s states director, the billionaire is focusing on New Hampshire has part of a greater general election strategy, citing Hillary Clinton’s narrow win in 2016.
“It’s a decisive battleground,” Mr. Kanninen said, according to WSJ. “Mike understands that.”
Kanninen said that the office should remain open throughout the general election, even if Bloomberg does not secure the Democrat nomination.
“The billionaire has previously announced a commitment to keep field staffers employed and offices open in battleground states to help the nominee— even if it’s not him—beat Mr. Trump,” WSJ noted.
His campaign also plans to feature an ad on New Hampshire’s Union Leader, which will read, “Bring back calm leadership.”
Liz Purdy, who worked for Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, is serving as the former mayor’s senior adviser, while Ryan Mahoney, who worked for Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and served as a senior staff member for the New Hampshire State Senate Democrats, is Bloomberg’s state director.
Purdy said:
I believe there is one candidate who is uniquely qualified to build an economy that works for all Granite Staters and has a lifelong record of accomplishment on critical issues like gun violence prevention, climate change, education, women’s rights and health care.
…
Mike can bring together a coalition to win in November, and we know that Mike will have the resources to defeat Donald Trump and elect Democrats up and down the ticket. I am excited to get to work and help lead his campaign to victory here in November.
Kanninen praised Purdy’s and Mahoney’s “unmatched New Hampshire knowledge and experience.”
“In a state where Hillary Clinton won by less than 3,000 votes in 2016, this early investment in Democrats’ November success here is key to defeating Donald Trump and keeping New Hampshire blue,” he added.
WMUR also confirmed the Bloomberg campaign’s plans to dump a “significant investment through November in ensuring the state [New Hampshire] remains blue in 2020.”
Bloomberg has experienced a spike in national polls in the last week, surpassing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for third place nationally in the Quinnipiac University poll and Morning Consult survey released this week. He has deliberately refrained from campaigning in the first four primary states in the nation, relying instead on a “Super Tuesday” strategy.
Wednesday’s RealClearPolitics poll showed Bloomberg surpassing Warren for third place with 14.2 percent support.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.