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Bloomberg Prepares Huge TV Blitz, Reserving $30 Million in Ads Bloomberg Prepares Huge TV Blitz, Reserving $30 Million in Ads
(about 3 hours later)
Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, spent at least $30 million on Friday for a single week of television ads, a formidable show of financial force ahead of an expected Democratic run for president. Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, spent at least $30 million on Friday for a single week of television ads, a show of financial force that signals his willingness to use his vast personal fortune to reshape the Democratic presidential race.
The ad buy will begin on Monday in more than two dozen states from California to Maine, according to ad trackers. This initial television campaign will feature 60-second ads — a sign of a huge 2020 Bloomberg campaign budget that could easily stretch into the nine-figure range. The 60-second biographical commercials will begin on Monday in more than two dozen states and roughly 100 news media markets from California to Maine, a preview of a 2020 campaign budget that could easily stretch into the nine-figure range.
The scope of Mr. Bloomberg’s ad buy is staggering. It costs more than some smaller campaigns have spent all year on advertising, and more than what Senator Cory Booker had raised in donations from February through the end of September. The scope of Mr. Bloomberg’s ad buy is staggering. It is more than all of Mr. Bloomberg’s potential rivals — other than the other billionaire running, Tom Steyer — have spent on television ads all year, and about double what Senator Cory Booker had raised in donations from February through the end of September.
Mr. Bloomberg will spend $1.2 million in Los Angeles, $863,000 in Chicago, $754,000 in Boston, $626,000 in Houston and $611,000 in Dallas, according to Advertising Analytics, a media-tracking company. And more reservations were still arriving late Friday. “Mike is prepared to spend what it takes to defeat Donald Trump,” said Howard Wolfson, a top adviser to Mr. Bloomberg, whose formal announcement of his candidacy appears imminent.
Mr. Bloomberg was not overlooking smaller states, either. He had booked $43,000 in ads, for instance, in Fargo, N.D. Rivals were quick to condemn Mr. Bloomberg, 77, for leveraging his personal fortune to sway the race.
The spending on Friday follows a separate $100 million digital ad campaign Mr. Bloomberg is funding that will solely target President Trump. Together, his ad buys signal his willingness to wield his wealth in perhaps unparalleled ways to oust Mr. Trump from the White House. “I’m disgusted by the idea that Michael Bloomberg or any other billionaire thinks they can circumvent the political process and spend tens of millions of dollars to buy our elections,” Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said.
Mr. Bloomberg has not officially announced he is running for president, though earlier this week, he filed a formal “statement of candidacy” with the Federal Election Commission. He had previously filed to be on the ballot in three states. The new television campaign provides a hint of how Mr. Bloomberg will focus his resources beyond the early voting states. He will spend $1.6 million in New York City, $1.5 million in Los Angeles, $1.2 million in Houston, $1.1 million in Miami and $794,000 in Boston in an eight-day period, according to Advertising Analytics, a media-tracking company. And more reservations were still arriving late Friday.
His expected entry has injected a new element of uncertainty into the race, highlighting its fluidity as well as the level of angst among many moderates that the field has moved too far left. It has also stirred a debate among Democrats about the role of wealth in the primary and accusations from progressive rivals that Mr. Bloomberg is trying to buy the presidency. Mr. Bloomberg was not overlooking smaller states, either. He had booked $52,000 in ads, for instance, in Fargo, N.D. and $59,000 in Biloxi, Miss.
The ad buy Friday drew immediate criticism from some of Mr. Bloomberg’s rivals. Mr. Bloomberg has not officially announced he is running for president, though this week he filed a formal “statement of candidacy” with the Federal Election Commission. He had previously filed to be on the ballot in three states.
“Swell,” Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana who is running a shoestring campaign for president, wrote on Twitter. “Another billionaire who thinks the Democratic nomination is for sale.” His expected entry has injected a new element of uncertainty into the race, highlighting its fluidity as well as the angst among many moderate Democrats that the field has moved too far left, and that former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., despite leading in most national polls, is poorly positioned to win. It has also stirred a debate among Democrats about the role of wealth in the primary and accusations from progressive rivals that Mr. Bloomberg is trying to buy the presidency.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, campaigning in New Hampshire, joked that she would also be announcing a multimillion ad buy. .
“No, I’m not,” she said, with a laugh. “We are running this in a grass-roots fashion. I’m not going to be able to compete with the money of Bloomberg or Steyer,” referring to Tom Steyer, a billionaire who is also running for the Democratic nomination. “Swell,” Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana who is running a shoestring campaign for president, wrote on Twitter Friday. “Another Billionaire who thinks the Democratic nomination is for sale.”
Ms. Klobuchar argued that Mr. Bloomberg’s wealth could turn off some primary voters, who are tired of big money in politics. Campaigning in New Hampshire, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota joked that she would also be announcing a multimillion ad buy.
“They are tired of all the money in our world that’s at the top and I don’t think they want that at the top of our country,” she said. “No, I’m not,” she said, with a laugh. More seriously, Ms. Klobuchar argued that Mr. Bloomberg’s wealth could turn off some primary voters, who are tired of big money in politics. “They are tired of all the money in our world that’s at the top and I don’t think they want that at the top of our country,” she said.
Mr. Bloomberg’s ads are slated to run from the early 5 a.m. local newscasts through the late-night shows, and on almost everything in between, including on prime time programming and major sporting events, according to some documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission. In Los Angeles, Mr. Bloomberg was slated to pay $114,000 for four 60-second ads on The Voice, NBC’s popular show. The ad buy is the latest in a series of steps that Mr. Bloomberg, who has flirted with past presidential runs but has always demurred, has taken before formally declaring his bid.
A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg declined to comment. He has filed to be on the ballot in Arkansas, Alabama and Texas. He announced a $100 million digital ad campaign against President Trump this month and launched a $15 million voter registration drive. And he went to a predominantly black church last Sunday and apologized for his long embrace of stop-and-frisk police tactics that disproportionately impacted blacks and Latinos during his mayoralty.
“I was wrong,” Mr. Bloomberg said, in a speech that has been his only public remarks since he re-emerged as a possible presidential candidate. “And I am sorry.”
On television, Mr. Bloomberg’s ads are slated to run from the early 5 a.m. local newscasts through the late-night shows, and on almost everything in between, including on prime time programming and major sporting events, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission.
His first ad will be a biographical spot, according to a person familiar with the ad but is not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Mr. Bloomberg has reserved at least $100,000 in time in 56 different news media markets, as of late Friday, from November 25 through December 3, according to Advertising Analytics. In Los Angeles, Mr. Bloomberg was slated to pay $114,000 for four 60-second ads on The Voice, NBC’s popular show, F.C.C. records show.
Bill Knapp, who produced ads for Mr. Bloomberg’s three mayoral campaigns, took a leave of absence from a leading Democratic consultancy, SKDKnickerbocker, to work for Mr. Bloomberg’s coming campaign, the firm announced on Friday. The firm itself will continue working for Mr. Biden.
Mr. Bloomberg’s advisers have said his campaign would bypass the first four states that will vote in February — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — and focus instead on Super Tuesday in March and beyond, where his personal fortune would give him an advantage.Mr. Bloomberg’s advisers have said his campaign would bypass the first four states that will vote in February — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — and focus instead on Super Tuesday in March and beyond, where his personal fortune would give him an advantage.
A moderate who first ran for mayor as a Republican and then as an independent and is now looking to run for president as a Democrat, Mr. Bloomberg could shake up the 2020 primary by offering an alternative to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. With voluminous spending, he can crowd the airwaves so much that other campaigns cannot break through. One of the looming questions of the expected Bloomberg candidacy is whether he would actually campaign much in person, or instead lean heavily on paid advertising.
Mr. Steyer entered the race in July and had spent nearly $50 million by the end of September. But Mr. Steyer has taken a completely different approach, airing ads so far mostly in the early primary states, and on cable nationally. A moderate who first ran for mayor as a Republican and then as an independent and is now plotting a run for president as a Democrat, Mr. Bloomberg could shake up the 2020 primary by offering a centrist alternative to Mr. Biden. And with voluminous spending, he can crowd the airwaves so much that other campaigns cannot break through.
Mr. Steyer, the race’s other billionaire, entered the contest in July and had spent nearly $50 million by the end of September. But Mr. Steyer has taken a completely different approach, airing ads so far mostly in the early primary states, and on cable nationally.
Mr. Bloomberg, with an estimated net worth of more than $50 billion, is one of the wealthiest people in America, with a fortune that dwarfs even Mr. Steyer’s.Mr. Bloomberg, with an estimated net worth of more than $50 billion, is one of the wealthiest people in America, with a fortune that dwarfs even Mr. Steyer’s.
Still, waiting to compete until the March contests is a deeply risky gambit for Mr. Bloomberg; many past nominating contests have been all-but-settled after the first four states. Mr. Bloomberg has not registered as a serious contender in any Democratic primary polls conducted since he signaled he would enter the race.Still, waiting to compete until the March contests is a deeply risky gambit for Mr. Bloomberg; many past nominating contests have been all-but-settled after the first four states. Mr. Bloomberg has not registered as a serious contender in any Democratic primary polls conducted since he signaled he would enter the race.
While the March primary states were the overwhelming focus of Mr. Bloomberg’s ad buy on Friday, he also was making some reservations in states, such as New York and Pennsylvania, that will vote later in the calendar.While the March primary states were the overwhelming focus of Mr. Bloomberg’s ad buy on Friday, he also was making some reservations in states, such as New York and Pennsylvania, that will vote later in the calendar.
On Friday, Mr. Bloomberg’s campaign submitted forms to television stations designating himself as a federal candidate, which entitles him to the lowest price available for ads. Paul Winn, a veteran media buyer, called the Bloomberg ad buy “unprecedented.”
Among the other steps he has taken before formally declaring his bid: he filed to be on the ballot in Arkansas, Alabama and Texas; announced the digital ad campaign againstMr. Trump and launched a $15 million voter registration drive. He also went to a predominantly black church on Sunday and apologized for his long embrace of stop-and-frisk police tactics that disproportionately impacted blacks and Latinos during his mayoralty. “The only media campaigns of comparable size and scope are general election presidential campaigns,” he said.
“I was wrong,” Mr. Bloomberg said, in what has been his only public remarks since he re-emerged as a possible presidential candidate. “And I am sorry.”
One of the open questions of the looming Bloomberg candidacy is just how much he will campaign in person, and to what extent his candidacy will lean mostly on paid advertising.
Lisa Lerer contributed reporting from Hennepin, N.H.Lisa Lerer contributed reporting from Hennepin, N.H.