HOUSTON – Mike Bloomberg snagged a major endorsement from the fourth largest city in the nation as Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner endorsed him for president. Three members of the Congressional Black Caucus also endorsed Bloomberg, who’s launched a major media campaign targeting African American voters.
“As Mayor, I know that cities are ultimately made up of two things – people and places. We need a president who knows how cities run and who will help create economic opportunity for all,” Turner posted on social media. “I am proud to announce my endorsement of @MikeBloomberg for President of the United States.”
Turner was also named National Co-Chair for the campaign’s Infrastructure Council where he will advise on strategy and policy.
The endorsements are extremely important for Bloomberg, primarily after a recent audio recording was leaked of Bloomberg supporting the “stop and frisk” of Black and Brown men.
In the 2015 recording, Bloomberg could be heard saying, “95% of your murders and murderers and murder victims fit one M.O. You can just take the description and Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male minorities 15 to 25.”
Bloomberg has since issued a public apology about his statement.
“I have apologized for taking too long to understand the impact of stop and frisk on Black and Latino communities. I inherited stop and frisk. In an effort to stop gun violence, it was overused. I cut it back by 95%. I should have cut it back sooner,” @MikeBloomberg posted. mikebloom.bg/39led2y
He’s now set his sights on connecting with African Americans, spending millions of dollars on a “Mike for Black America” ad campaign.
Bloomberg is releasing multiple ads his team feels shows his dedication to building a better future for Black America. The TV ads will run nationwide on cable and locally in 28 states, including in every Super Tuesday state.
Bloomberg claims he has helped Black-owned businesses thrive and has invested heavily in children and education.
His platform also focuses on his commitment to improving juvenile justice and his experience leading on the issue during his time as mayor of New York City.
Launched under Bloomberg’s leadership, The Young Men’s Initiative was the nation’s boldest and most comprehensive effort to tackle the broad disparities slowing the advancement of Black and Latino young men while trying to keep them out of the criminal justice system.
Bloomberg says, as president, he will work to expand programs like My Brother’s Keeper, a program started under President Barack Obama, to close the opportunity gaps faced by young men of color.
Another one of Bloomberg’s plans is to deliver economic justice and create generational wealth for Black Americans by addressing systematic bias and making strategic investments in communities and businesses. In doing so, Bloomberg aims to triple the wealth of the median Black household and increase upward mobility in their communities.
“For hundreds of years, America systematically stole Black lives, Black freedom, and Black labor, and I know my story would have turned out very differently if I had been Black,” Bloomberg says in a TV ad. “The wealth gap is inextricably linked to the racial inequalities of the past, and I’m determined to make breaking that link a centerpiece of my presidency.”
