Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg on Monday said Democrats should seriously rethink changing the order of their presidential primary schedule, arguing that Iowa and New Hampshire aren’t necessarily reflective of the U.S. as a whole.
“As president, I will ensure the DNC works with state party leaders at every level to re-order the primary calendar in ways that better reflect our diverse electorate and channel more resources into the states we actually need to win in November,” Mr. Bloomberg wrote in a CNN piece.
He said that Democrats are in danger of “repeating 2016” in large part because as the party focuses on Iowa and New Hampshire, President Trump is operating at “full-speed” in battleground states.
“The traditional justification for giving two small states so much influence is that larger states require more money,” he said. “But with social media platforms and cable news, there are few barriers to getting a message out — that’s why more than two dozen Democrats entered the race.”
He credited former housing secretary Julián Castro, who recently dropped out of the 2020 race and endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, for being a leading voice in advocating for a calendar change.
“But since the changes are unpopular with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, the other candidates have mostly stayed mum,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “I’m speaking up because it’s the right thing to do for our party and country, and I hope more Democratic leaders around the country will join me.”
Mr. Bloomberg has not been campaigning in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Instead, he’s banking on a strong performance in states like California and Texas that will hold their primaries on Super Tuesday in early March to propel his campaign forward.
He vowed to keep field offices open in swing states through the general election “no matter who our party nominates.”
Over the weekend, he didn’t rule out pouring $1 billion of his own money into the presidential race to support the Democratic nominee, even if he doesn’t win.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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