Democrat Michael Bloomberg will open his NC headquarters Sunday in Charlotte
Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg plans to open his campaign’s first field office in the country Sunday — in Charlotte.
The former New York mayor will appear at the uptown headquarters shortly after noon.
It underscores his strategy of bypassing Iowa, South Carolina and other early contests to focus on states like North Carolina that vote in March or later.
“North Carolina is incredibly important as a Super Tuesday state and it’s important to . . . talk to those voters,” Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s statesdirector, told The Observer. “And it’s an incredibly important state in the fall.”
North Carolina’s March 3 primary is one of more than a dozen that will come on that day.
Bloomberg, a billionaire who entered the race late last month, is banking on the hope that he can bypass the early states that traditionally provide a springboard to nomination.
“Most candidates . . . are simply not talking to voters in the states that matter the most,” Kanninen said, adding that the early states account for just a fraction of the convention delegates at stake.
About two-thirds of the Democratic delegates will be chosen by the end of March. Only nine states will have more than North Carolina’s 122, according to a state party spokesman.
Many analysts are skeptical of Bloomberg’s strategy.
“It’s not proven to be a successful strategy in the past,” said Josh Putnam, a political scientist who runs Frontloading HQ, a site that tracks the presidential selection process. “We’ve not had a candidate with as many financial resources as he has attempt a strategy like this. Even still, it’s an uphill climb.”
Kanninen said the campaign already has hired about 20 N.C. organizers.
Records filed with the Federal Communications Commission show that Bloomberg has spent $650,000 on TV ads on just three N.C. stations, two in Charlotte and one in Raleigh.
In a statement, Mayor Vi Lyles welcomed Bloomberg to the city.
“I’m happy he chose to focus on North Carolina and specifically the Queen City for such an important milestone in his presidential run, as he’s already done so much for our community.”
Last year, Charlotte was one of 20 cities chosen to take part in a $70 million program to fight climate change sponsored by the Bloomberg’s philanthropies.
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
