Bloomberg invests money, resources into the Beehive State
Feb 17, 2020, 11:41 AM
Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is pouring money into Utah, hoping to get the vote out on Super Tuesday. (Photo credit: ABC News.)
(Photo credit: ABC News.)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Former New York City mayor and current presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg hopes that Utahns turn out for him on Super Tuesday, March 3rd. According to UtahPolicy.com, Bloomberg has invested a considerable amount of money in Utah, has opened a campaign office in downtown Salt Lake City, and has plans to open another office in the southern part of Salt Lake County.
Bloomberg has 19 staffers on the ground in Utah and held a rally in Salt Lake City in January.
The exact amount of money he has dropped here is not released by his campaign. But Advertising Analytics, a firm that tracks advertising dollars dedicated to politics, puts the amount of money spent on television advertising at $2.2 million. That amount does not include digital advertising.
It is no secret that the former NYC mayor is concentrating resources in the 14 states that make up Super Tuesday. Utah holds 29 pledged delegates and six unpledged, or “superdelegates.”
So far, the only other major candidate in the race making a significant presence here is Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has a town hall style event in Utah Monday night and is expected to hold other campaign events here as well. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former VP Joe Biden have less visibility here so far ahead of the March 3rd vote.
Bloomberg has spent a whopping $188 million during the first quarter of his campaign, more than most other major candidates combined. The bulk of Bloomberg’s money is spent on advertising, and some of the rest spent on salaries on staffers scattered around the country. He has opened 125 field offices.
A Suffolk University poll from January has Bloomberg in fourth place among Utah voters, behind Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden. A Harris X survey shows Bloomberg with the best chance of beating President Donald Trump head-to-head, with 32% support from the state’s voters.
He would still, according to the results, lose by 13 points.
