Mike Bloomberg making Phoenix his 2nd campaign stop after entering race
Nov 25, 2019, 6:21 PM | Updated: 6:27 pm
PHOENIX – Newly declared Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg will be in Phoenix on Tuesday to file for the state primary ballot.
The billionaire and former New York mayor is also expected to meet with community leaders and hold a press conference.
Bloomberg announced Sunday that he was joining the race and made his first campaign stop Monday in Norfolk, Virginia.
His campaign considers Arizona a key battleground state. It is one of four states Bloomberg has targeted as part of a $100 million buy for digital ads against President Donald Trump.
Arizona is also one of five states where he’s committed to register 500,000 voters from underrepresented groups.
Bloomberg, a centrist who became a Democrat last year, joined the presidential race just 10 weeks before primary voting begins. His Democratic rivals have already pounced on his plans to rely on his personal fortunes to fund his campaign, accusing him of trying to buy an election.
Bloomberg said in Norfolk that Trump was a “threat to our country, to our values and our national security.” But he also cast doubt on the crowded field of Democrats whose performance, he insinuated, forced him into the race.
“I think that there is a greater risk of having Donald Trump reelected than there was before,” Bloomberg told reporters. “And in the end, I looked in the mirror and said that I just cannot let this happen.”
The former Republican touted a platform that also focused on combating sea-level rise, economic inequality and health care.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
