It’s unclear if Bloomberg could even win a Democratic primary in New York City where Queens and Bronx voters recently elected avowed socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress. (In 2016, Bernie Sanders got more than 40 percent of the vote in Brooklyn.) Over his three elections in New York, Bloomberg spent a whopping $240 million to fend off Democratic challengers. “He has so many enemies in the Democratic Party in New York City it’s hard to see him winning a primary,” said a longtime progressive Democratic consultant.
Outside of his home base, Bloomberg may be best known for his health-conscious nanny-state policies, which became fodder for late-night talk shows. He prohibited smoking inside commercial establishments, pushed restaurants to ban trans-fat offerings, forced chain restaurants to post calorie counts and tried to eliminate the sale of sugary soda drinks larger than 16 ounces. “His record was a he-knew-best approach. It lacked common sense, free will and personal responsibility,” said Borelli.
“It’s hard to imagine Bloomberg campaigning at the Iowa State Fair, where there will be massive amounts of unhealthy foods with trans-fats and sugary soft drinks everywhere,” said the Democratic consultant. “He’s never been a man of the people. This is not going to go well.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member