Bloomberg highlights ties to Obama in new ad

Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday launched a new ad touting his ties to former President Obama, highlighting their work together in communities across the country.

The ad opens with clips of Obama introducing Bloomberg at an event in 2013, and goes on to list Bloomberg’s work with the former president on gun safety and education. 

“At a time when Washington is divided in old ideological battles, he shows us what can be achieved when we bring people together to seek pragmatic solutions,” Obama is heard saying of Bloomberg in the 30-second spot.

The former New York City mayor endorsed Obama’s 2012 reelection bid, citing his stance on climate change. The two leaders also worked on gun control reform in 2013 following the Sandy Hook shooting that left 26 people dead. 

Obama has not yet endorsed a 2020 Democratic candidate for president. His status as the last Democratic president and one of the most popular figures in the party would make an endorsement from him extremely valuable for any Democratic candidate. 

Ninety-one percent of Democrats rated Obama’s presidency as “good or excellent,” according to a CBS News/YouGov poll released last year. 

Top tier Democratic contender Joe Biden has repeatedly touted his connection with Obama, with whom he served as vice president, often invoking their friendship on the campaign trail. 

Biden said in an interview yesterday that he did not need an endorsement from Obama because  “everyone knows I’m close with him.”

Bloomberg entered the Democratic race late and is not focusing on early primary and caucus states. He has self-funded his campaign entirely and spent more than $180 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.

His campaign has picked up a little traction with the RealClearPolitics average of polls showing him in fourth place nationally with 8.3 percent of the vote.