Bloomberg advisers reportedly urged him to drop out and back Biden before Super Tuesday

Mike Bloomberg.
(Image credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's presence in the 2020 race is reportedly frustrating some of his own campaign advisers.

Bloomberg campaign advisers urged him after the recent South Carolina Democratic primary to drop out of the race and endorse former Vice President Joe Biden prior to Super Tuesday, Vanity Fair reports. Among those who reportedly pushed for Bloomberg to get out and back Biden was his own campaign manager, Kevin Sheekey.

"There is a prevailing view Mike should drop out," a Bloomberg adviser told Vanity Fair, while another adviser said that after Biden trounced his opponents in South Carolina, "the dynamic of the race clearly changed."

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Bloomberg ultimately stayed in the race for Super Tuesday, and "campaign officials are privately frustrated" that he ignored their advice to drop out and back Biden, Vanity Fair reports.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg admitted he was eying a contested convention as his path to the nomination, saying, "I don't think I can win any other way." But asked about the possibility of dropping out, Bloomberg said, "We're in it to win it."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.