Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks to supporters at a campaign office, Monday, Jan. 27, in Scarborough. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
SCARBOROUGH — Former New York City Mayor and Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg visited Scarborough on Jan. 27, asking the people of Maine for their votes to beat President Donald Trump.
Bloomberg, who began the afternoon in Maine at Becky’s Diner in Portland with Portland Mayor Kate Snyder, has opened a campaign field office at the corner of Route 1 and Willowdale Road in Scarborough. He was joined by former U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud.
The Democratic candidate, who was mayor of New York City from 2001 to 2013, said that he is not accepting campaign donations, and he wants to do anything he can to keep President Trump from winning a second term.
He said that his goal in this race is not to tear down any other Democratic candidate.
“I think we can get together here and pull this country back on track,” he said in Scarborough. “I’ve been traveling all over America, running hard to be the Democratic nominee, and all the other Democrats attack each other. I’m trying to focus on making a case against Donald Trump, because we just got to beat him. I keep getting questions: ‘What do you think about this other candidate?’ I say I’m not an expert on any of them.”
Michaud said that he was proud to endorse Bloomberg.
“Mike (Bloomberg) has built a career based on calm and steady leadership, bringing people together and putting progress over partisanship,” he said. “We need a leader in the White House who is a thoughtful decision maker and who puts the country’s interests first. We need a leader who has worked successfully by pressing issues such as climate change, health care, gun safety, and he’s the one who’s actually able to get it done. We need a leader who’s willing to put aside political differences, restore dignity to the office and unite the American people, and that person is Mike Bloomberg.”
Bloomberg said that he would take action to halt climate change, a problem that has affected the Maine lobster industry but is an issue that President Trump denies, and he will lower the price of prescription drugs.
“I believe it’s time to stop debating health care and start fixing it,” he said. “As mayor, I extended coverage to 700,000 New Yorkers and as president, I will build on Obamacare and end the empty talk about the drug crisis by actually lowering the cost of prescription medicine. Do you know how much money I’ve taken from big drug companies? Zero. We will get this done and do something about it.”
He said that President Trump has not kept a promise to provide veterans the care that he has promised in the past, but Bloomberg will support Maine veterans.
“I think the contrast between Donald Trump and I couldn’t be clearer,” he said. “I like to be called the ‘un-Trump.’ He breaks promises and I keep them. He’s a climate change denier, and I’m an engineer and I actually believe in science … I’m going to spend whatever money I have to beat Donald Trump.”
According to an article by Press Herald staff writer Kevin Miller, Bloomberg has spent around $250 million on his campaign so far, allegedly willing to spend up to $2 billion.
RNC spokesperson Nina McLaughin released a statement on the candidate, saying, “Michael Bloomberg continues to try to buy his way into the presidency, but Mainers know that Bloomberg is an out-of-touch elite who will destroy the Maine economy and strip our Second Amendment rights. Mainers overwhelmingly rejected Bloomberg’s radical policies in 2016, and will do the same in 2020.”
Bloomberg said that if he doesn’t make it to the November election, he will support the Democratic candidate who does.
“I don’t know if you’ve been watching the polls lately, but Mike is climbing,” Michaud said. “It’s catching on in that Mike is the best person to actually beat Donald Trump at the ballot box. He’s never taken campaign donations. Mike has an unmatched record on taking on tough challenges that face Maine and our country. He’s been a leader on crisis, gun safety, the opioid epidemic and making sure veterans have the support they need and deserve.”
“This is a campaign for change and sanity and honesty and compassion and inclusion and decency,” Bloomberg said.
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