Bloomberg to spend 'nine figures' in Florida, allowing Biden campaign to focus resources in other swing states


Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has set his sights on Florida as he attempts to help push the Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, into the Oval Office, The Washington Post reports.
Bloomberg plans to spend at least $100 million campaigning for Biden in Florida, though his advisers refused to say if the total dollar figure would actually be higher, acknowledging only that it's a "nine figure" plan.
Democratic strategists have been waiting to see how Bloomberg, who spent more than $1 billion of his own money on a failed bid for the White House earlier this year, would put his vast wealth to use this election cycle, and, for now at least, the Sunshine State is the beneficiary, with most of the money going toward television and digital ads in both English and Spanish. Bloomberg's adviser Kevin Sheekey said the billionaire believes investing in Florida will allow the Biden campaign and other outside Democratic groups — who have generally shied away from advertising in Florida because it's too expensive, the Post notes — to spend in other states, especially Pennsylvania.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bloomberg is also reportedly hoping to encourage early voting in the state, which begins Sept. 24, so that a potential Biden win could be called soon after polls close since Florida reports early ballots shortly after voting ends. In that case, there would theoretically be less confusion among the public over who won not jut Florida, but the election overall. Winning Florida would go a long a way for Biden, the Post reports. If he does, he could likely win the presidency by retaining every state Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and winning just one other toss up state among Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
Biden is holding on to a lead in Florida, but some polls indicate it's shrinking as he struggles to win over Latino voters in the state. Read more at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventure
Feature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream' and 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television'
Feature Private equity and the man who created 'I Love Lucy' get their close-ups
-
Can Texas redistricting save the US House for the GOP?
Today's Big Question Trump pushes a 'ruthless' new plan, but it could backfire
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled