Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg passed on running for president this year but he is showing no signs of staying on the sidelines as he threw his support to a congressional candidate in Florida.
After attacking Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Democratic convention last month, Bloomberg was named to a group of independents and Republicans backing Hillary Clinton’s White House ambitions. But, at the start of this month, Bloomberg endorsed Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, one of the chief targets for Democrats as they look to flip the Senate.
“As I said when I appealed to Republicans and independents from the stage of the Democratic National Convention in Pennsylvania last week, I look at the candidate, not the party label because we can only solve our biggest problems if we come together across party lines,” Bloomberg said when he backed Toomey. “Chances are that no candidate is ever going to be perfect for you on every issue, but when brave people buck party orthodoxy and demonstrate bold, pragmatic leadership, they deserve support from all of us.
“In the wake of Newtown, Pat Toomey crossed party lines to lead the fight to reduce gun violence in America by co-sponsoring legislation to close the background check loophole,” Bloomberg added. “His pragmatic leadership in Washington deserves the support of every Pennsylvanian.”
Bloomberg’s Independence USA PAC also backed two Democrats running for state office in the Keystone State: Josh Shapiro who is running for attorney general and Joe Torsella who is running for state treasurer.
This week Bloomberg and Independence USA PAC got active in Florida, endorsing former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings who is running for the seat currently held by Republican Congressman Dan Webster. After the latest round of redistricting, this seat became more favorable to Democrats and Webster, who narrowly beat Demings in 2012, headed north to run for another seat. Independence USA PAC, which backed Demings when she took on Webster, launched a TV ad on her behalf.
“Few people in America have done more to fight gun violence than Val Demings,” Bloomberg insisted on Wednesday as his PAC endorsed her. “She will be a powerful leader in Congress on day one to pass sensible laws to protect all Americans from illegal guns.”
The ad showcases Demings' speech at the Democratic National Convention last month.
“I've had the honor of serving as Orlando's first woman chief of police,” Demings said in that speech which the ad replays. “I know firsthand the tragedy that gun violence inflicts on families in America."
“Val Demings, bringing police and communities together to fight gun violence and reduce crime, mentoring and educating our children, keeping them safe," a narrator says. “Val Demings for Congress - putting Central Florida families first.”
Demings does not have an open shot at the Democratic nod, facing attorney Fatima Fahmy, former state party leader Bob Poe and state Sen. Geri Thompson, D-Orlando, in the primary at the end of the month. Whoever wins the primary will be a heavy favorite in November against businesswoman Thuy Lowe who ran for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown in 2014 but lost in the primary.
