Mike Bloomberg sets out to help flip three senate seats, help Biden win Florida, and more (NYT)

[Mike 03]

Bloomberg’s Gun Control Group Pours $15 Million Into Races in 8 States
The New York Times
By Reid J. Epstein
July 23, 2020, 7:00 a.m. ET

The group, Everytown for Gun Safety, hopes to help Democrats flip three Senate seats, win control of state legislatures and lift Joe Biden to victory in Florida.

Michael R. Bloomberg’s gun control organization will focus its political advertising spending this fall on eight states where it aims to help Democrats flip three Senate seats, wrest control of state legislatures and lift former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to victory in Florida.

The group, Everytown for Gun Safety, is making an initial $15 million investment in digital advertising in the states, an opening outlay of the $60 million it has pledged to spend during the 2020 campaign.

It includes $5 million earmarked for Florida, the lone state where Everytown plans on advertising in the presidential contest; $3.5 million in Texas, where the group is targeting six House races; and $1 million to $1.5 million in Arizona, Iowa and North Carolina — three states where it will advertise in Senate races — as well as in Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

The group also plans an initial $500,000 investment in Georgia, where, in addition to the state legislative contests, the group will advertise on behalf of Representative Lucy McBath, a suburban Atlanta Democrat who used to work as an Everytown spokeswoman.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/us/politics/bloomberg-guns.html

[Johnny2X2X]

1. What happened to $1 Billion?

He pledged $1 Billion to defeat Trump, Bloomberg should be held to this.

[honest.abe]

3. Where did he specify the exact amount he would spend?

I think he just said he would spend whatever it takes to defeat Trump.

Many people on this site were arguing a few weeks ago that Bloomberg was lying about actually helping us. Now that he is helping us he still gets criticized.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. He did say $1 Billion

But he qualified it with he'd spend $1 Billion if needed. If the candidate was doing well, he wouldn't need to spend as much.

[honest.abe]

5. Ok that seems reasonable.

I really do believe Mike is on our side.. regardless of his past controversial issues. We may need his billion dollars if Trump is somehow able to turn things around and close the gap with Biden.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. The candidate is doing well. Bloomberg does NOT need to be held to the 1 billion. . . . nt

[Jersey Devil]

7. This is just for his gun control group. He has other groups that will advertise as well

nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Hey impatient, the election has a long way to go yet. It is far from over. . . . nt

[progressoid]

31. 102 days.

That's not long.

[George II]

16. It's JULY!!

[jaxexpat]

25. Rule of thumb, 'Do not expect candor from the rich if they're talking about their money.'

[no_hypocrisy]

2. What about Mitch, Mike?

Shouldn't your dollars be concentrated in Kentucky?

[brooklynite]

6. Targeting candidates doesn't mean wasting money on hopeless causes...

You get rid of McConnell by taking away his Republican Majority.

[no_hypocrisy]

10. And the filibuster.

[Kid Berwyn]

8. Excellent suggestion. Mitch was/is in trouble.

Kentuckians Have Finally Had About Enough of Mitch McConnell

Excerpt...

The poll showing that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the president’s most stolid defender, is down to a 18 percent job approval rating in Kentucky. Only 37 percent in the Public Policy Poll said they would vote for him again next year.

Could that be because of his stone-faced support for whatever steaming mess Trump hurls his way? The Bluegrass State is the canary in the mine for how much Trump can help, or hurt, a candidate as his impeachment looks every more likely. After two weeks of unimpeachable civil servants bearing witness to an impeachable president, clinging to Trump out of fear he will kill you if you don’t do what he says is becoming more politically perilous.

McConnell’s facing his toughest race since he first won election in 1984 by a few thousand votes after airing a famous ad in which a bloodhound sniffs around for the incumbent Walter Dee Huddleston who is nowhere to be found. 2020 will be McConnell’s first race since the once dignified man was infantilized by Trump and his unceasing demands for abject obedience. The indelible impression of the majority leader is of a sphinx standing before a microphone in the Capitol, flanked by a posse of yes-men quaking in their boots lest they reveal a flicker of disagreement with the White House. Even when it came to the Syrian conflict, they only objected briefly to abandoning our Kurdish allies in favor of helping Russia and letting terrorists go free. After Trump rebuked them, the caucus hastily retreated and learned to be impressed by his novel approach in the region.

Continues...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/kentuckians-have-finally-had-about-enough-of-mitch-mcconnell?ref=home

[Thekaspervote]

14. Amy McGrath has a huge war chest already. I'm sure if she runs low he will help out

[lagomorph777]

9. Very good news!

Happy to see him supporting candidates down-ballot.

[Thekaspervote]

13. Can we now please stop bashing Bloomberg!

[uponit7771]

15. Yes

[Demsrule86]

17. Agree whatever his faults and we all know what they are...he helped us take the

House and has been stellar on Gun control. Also, Bloomberg helped us take the entire state of Virginia.

[FM123]

18. Please Mike pay off folks court fines so that our former felons can vote here in Florida!

[Scarsdale]

20. It is outrageous that people

lose their right to vote because of unpaid fines. Does this mean they lose their citizenship, too? Every citizen should be allowed to vote for their candidate of choice, no matter what their personal situation is. Who made this law - the gop no doubt.

[FM123]

24. It really is outrageous.

And some of the folks that want to and are able to pay off their fines are not even able to go forward because they system is so messed up they can not even tell them how much they owe!

[JudyM]

27. That's what I'm saying. Easiest way to get a leg up in FL.

It’s be great if it was coupled with a letter to each person explaining the importance of voting.

[FM123]

28. Yes!

There are over a million former felons in Florida who could vote, that's a big number....
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/felons-florida-vote-million-face-hurdles-fees/story?id=69060375

[druidity33]

32. and let's say...

that the average amount they owe is 500 dollars. That right there is over 500 million dollars out of the maximum billion that he said he would spend. We need to know what they are doing with this money. It should be earmarked for Elections.

[FM123]

33. Yep!

I think it would be money well spent - taking FL would give us 29 electoral votes - that is more than Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nevada put together

[cstanleytech]

19. I would take aim at Kentucky as well and pour in about 20 million there as if Moscow Mitch goes down

it would be a major blow for the Republicans that might take them awhile to recover from.

[Scarsdale]

21. Lindsey Graham needs to go, too.

He is a troublemaker. He said "There is not enough money to defeat ME" Prove him wrong.

[cstanleytech]

23. He might be right about that though as a lot of voters in his state are morons.

[Cha]

30. Excellent IDEA.. The best.. mitch needs to GO.

[Stuart G]

22. K and R for visability..

[iluvtennis]

26. So happy to read this is happening, thank you Mike Bloomberg! nt

[Cha]

29. Thank you, Mike!

[Awsi Dooger]

34. Florida needs to be the focus

Bloomberg's ads here were very good. That's why he jumped so high in the polls without doing anything else.

Tough state to figure out but he had a far superior handle than anyone else

[GoCubsGo]

35. Hey, Mr. Bloomberg... Please help South Carolina get rid of Leningrad Lindsey, too.