Around New England

Massachusetts Native Michael Bloomberg Qualifies for Democratic Debate

February 18, 2020

Massachusetts native Michael Bloomberg will be on the Democratic presidential primary debate stage on Wednesday night.

The former three-term New York City mayor, who grew up in Medford, Massachusetts, earned his place in the debate thanks to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll that found him with 19 percent support from Democrats nationally. To qualify for the debate set for Wednesday, February 19, candidates must have at least four polls approved by the Democratic National Committee showing their support among Democrats at 10 percent or higher.

In the poll that qualified Bloomberg for the debate, he is polling second nationally behind Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who has 31 percent support in it.

In a statement released by Bloomberg’s campaign manager Kevin Sheekey on Tuesday, February 18, according to CNN, he said that the candidate is “looking forward to joining the other Democratic candidates on stage and making the case for why he’s the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump and unite the country. The opportunity to discuss his workable and achievable plans for the challenges facing this country is an important part of the campaign process.”