Former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg will continue his unprecedented spending spree by committing $10 million to help vulnerable House Democrats stave off Republican challengers in 2020.
“Sadly Republicans are more interested in protecting the president than the Constitution,” Bloomberg, who has been criticized by fellow candidates for trying to “buy” the nomination, said in a statement. “Fortunately House Democrats are holding the President accountable, and they need resources to stay in office.”
In 2018, Bloomberg spent more than $100 million to help elect a Democrat-led House through his own group, Independence USA PAC. In February, he promised to spend $500 million to deny Trump a second term in 2020.
Since joining the race, Bloomberg has spent more than $100 million on personal campaign ads, while promising $100 million more for anti-Trump ad buys in six swing states during the primaries and at least $15 million for Democratic voter-registration efforts before the general election. He is polling around 5 percent nationally, despite not targeting any of the first four primary states ahead of Super Tuesday.
Republican PACs have focused on targeting 37 key congressional districts in 2020 as part of an ongoing effort to oust Democrats over impeachment. American Action Network, the main nonprofit supporting House Republicans, has launched a $7 million ad campaign, while a separate pro-Trump group, America First Policies, has committed $3.3 million since October.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) welcomed Bloomberg’s support.
“In 2018, Mayor Bloomberg was a critical ally in helping House Democrats regain the majority,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Now, the stakes are even higher as we work to make health care more affordable by reducing the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, increase wages and root out corruption. We welcome and thank Mayor Bloomberg for his support.”
Bloomberg’s money will be handled primarily by House Majority PAC, the central Democratic outside group for House races.
“With this extraordinary commitment from Mayor Bloomberg, we’ll be able to generate more resources to ensure voters understand how their Democratic House majority is working on the issues that matter, like protecting access to affordable health care and reducing the cost of prescription drugs,” Robby Mook, a former presidential-campaign manager for Hillary Clinton who now runs House Majority PAC, said after the announcement.