Stephanie Murphy D-FL endorsed Mike Bloomberg on Thursday. She’s the second. There will be many more. It is a completely safe bet. It’s been a long while since endorsements have meant anything – ask Jeb Bush – but maybe it’s necessary for Mayor Mike.
Murphy is in her second term, winning re-election by 58-42. There is only upside for her and anyone but the most devoted of acolytes in endorsing some who already demonstrated a willingness to spend hundreds of millions. Even not on his own election. Meaning hers in the future. Florida is an expensive state to run state-wide in. I think we’ll see congress-folk from the bigger states in safe districts go this route. (The other congressman is from New York.)
Bloomberg’s strategy of skipping the early states to go for March Super Tuesday feels reminiscent of Rudy Guiliani in 2008; the “hey, Florida has a lot of ex-New Yorkers I can win there strategy” which can be moot if Joe Biden locks things up in the first two states.
A majority of the Democratic Caucus has not publicly backed a candidate, and several say Bloomberg’s centrist views — and his promise to use his personal fortune to spend unprecedented sums in battleground states — have piqued their interest.
Politico, January 16, Bloomberg makes his case to Dems on Capitol Hill
The prospect of Bloomberg running as an independent in 2016 – getting a state or two, finishing third and possibly sending the race to the House bears re-examination. He didn’t want Hillary to lose, and perhaps his entry would have made that more certain. Still if not — peeling off New York and ???…What kind of financial firepower would have been brought to bear with congressmen & women then?
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