Bloomberg won’t commit to funding Sanders if he’s the nominee
Sanders aide previously said campaign would reject Bloomberg financial help
Mike Bloomberg suggested he won’t spend money to support Bernie Sanders if the Vermont senator becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, days after an aide to Sanders said they would reject the help.
“What do you mean, I’m going to send a check to somebody and they’re not going to cash the check? I think I wouldn’t bother to send the check,” Bloomberg told the Houston Chronicle on Thursday.
Although Bloomberg, one of the richest men in the world, worth an estimated $60 billion, has vowed to spend heavily on whichever Democratic candidate faces off against President Trump in the November general election should he lose the nominating contest, a top adviser to Sanders said their campaign would not accept the cash.
“It’s a hard no,” Jeff Weaver, one of Sanders’ closest aides, told NBC News earlier this week when asked whether the self-avowed democratic socialist would accept Bloomberg’s help. "Bernie has said he's going to fund his presidential campaign with small-dollar contributions, and I think we can do that. I think we can raise over a billion dollars in small-dollar contributions."
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Bloomberg has spent an unprecedented $500 million on his campaign so far and has committed to backing whichever candidate is ultimately at the top of the ticket.
“I said that I would help, I’m going to keep our campaign offices, the main ones anyways, open until Nov. 3,” Bloomberg added. “And if they don’t want to use them, then fine. Then we’ll close them.”
During a Texas rally, Bloomberg told attendants that he operates well over 100 field offices around the country, including nearly 20 in Texas. He intends to keep them open until Nov. 3, he said.
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The comments highlight a growing rift between Bloomberg and Sanders, who’s used the three-time New York City mayor as a foil to argue how the American economy is skewed in favor of the rich and the powerful.
Sanders and fellow progressive candidate Elizabeth Warren have accused Bloomberg of trying to buy the election. Bloomberg previously suggested he was willing to drop as much as $1 billion in hopes of unseating Trump in November.
“I got news for Mr. Bloomberg, and that is the American people are sick and tired of billionaires buying elections," Sanders said at a recent rally.
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