Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign announced Tuesday that the Democratic billionaire will make a campaign stop in Minnesota to discuss policies for people “shortchanged by Donald Trump.”
According to his campaign, Bloomberg will visit a soybean farm Wednesday in Wells, Minnesota to discuss “rural economic issues.” His campaign said he will visit with soybean farmer Darin Johnson at the Johnson Family Farm, indicating that he will discuss President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China. The visit will be part of a three-city swing through the Midwest, which will include stops in Chicago and Akron, Ohio.
“While other campaigns focus solely on New Hampshire and Iowa, Mike is prioritizing voters in states that are often overlooked in the Democratic primary,” his campaign said in a statement.
The former New York City mayor did not enter the race until November, but has already vastly outspent his opponents on television advertisements in the state. According to estimates from FiveThirtyEight, Bloomberg has spent more than $1.8 million on advertisements in Minnesota alone. For comparison, former Vice President Joe Biden has spent only $1,700 on television ads in Minnesota.
The Wednesday visit will mark Bloomberg’s first stop in Minnesota since announcing his campaign. He was scheduled to speak at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs in November, but the event was canceled because of the “increased likelihood” that he would enter the presidential race.
According to The Star Tribune, Bloomberg funded efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota in 2013 and helped Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) and Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) win their elections in 2018.
Attorney General Keith Ellison was sued in August for refusing to hand over documents related to his office’s hiring of a lawyer connected to Bloomberg’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center, The Minnesota Sun reported.
The most recent national polls have Bloomberg polling in fifth place at seven percent—ahead of Minnesota’s Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is in eighth place with three percent of the vote.
Minnesota’s Democratic primary is scheduled for March 3 and early voting begins next week.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Michael Bloomberg” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Minnesota Capitol” by McGhiever. CC BY-SA 4.0.
