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Bloomberg to Campaign in Pittsburgh

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is returning to Pennsylvania. 

On the same day that President Donald Trump will participate in a Fox News town hall in Scranton, Bloomberg will be campaigning in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Bloomberg is slated to visit Macomb County, Michigan and Pittsburgh on Thursday for organizing events with supporters, while he takes his campaign to Florida on Friday and Saturday, according to a release from his campaign. 

“Mike is running for president to unite our country when it is more divided than ever and to defeat Donald Trump. Nowhere is Mike’s commitment to delivering a Democratic victory in November more clear than in the key battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida, and Mike is excited to return to them this week,” said Dan Kanninen, States Director for Mike Bloomberg 2020. “As our campaign continues to gain momentum, Mike will engage with voters in these states and share his message of taking on tough fights on critical issues like gun safety, climate change, and health care, and winning.”

This will be Bloomberg’s third visit to Pennsylvania since launching a bid for the White House and his first trip to western Pennsylvania. His two previous visits, which were in Philadelphia, included the opening of his first field office in the state in Old City in December and a rally at the National Constitution Center in February. 

Due to Bloomberg’s later entry into the race and his decision to bypass key early states prior to Super Tuesday, he’s placed his focus on other delegate heavy states, including Pennsylvania. While other Democratic presidential hopefuls have made several campaign visits to the state over the past year, Bloomberg remains the only Democrat to campaign in the state in 2020 thus far. In January, Bloomberg’s campaign also rolled out a number of hires for their Pennsylvania operation. 

In response to Bloomberg’s visit, the Pennsylvania Republican Party said “welcome to Trump country,” while the Republican National Committee said his message won’t resonate with voters in the state.

“Michael Bloomberg’s uninspiring message and money burning crusade will not resonate with Pennsylvania voters who look forward to re-electing President Trump in November,” said RNC Spokesperson Michael Joyce.

Recent polling shows that Bloomberg is competitive in Pennsylvania for both the Democratic primary and a hypothetical head to head matchup with Trump, although he appear to be the best positioned in these polls in the state. 

A Quinnipiac University poll released two weeks ago showed all of the Democratic presidential frontrunners leading Trump in the state with former Vice President Joe Biden holding the largest lead of 8 points, followed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar by 7 points, then Bloomberg by 6 points, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg by 4 points, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren by 3 points. However, a Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll released last week showed Sanders with the best odds as the only Democrat defeating Trump head to head in the state by 3 points, while Biden and Warren were tied with Trump, and the president leading Bloomberg by 3 points, although all results were within the margin of error. 

As for the Democratic primary, a poll from Franklin and Marshall College released in late January showed Biden leading the Democratic pack with 22%, while Sanders was in second place with 15%, followed by Warren with 14%, and Bloomberg in fourth place with 7%. However, the Election Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison released a poll last week that showed Sanders leading the way in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary with 25%, followed by Biden in second place with 20%, and Bloomberg in third place with 19%.

Pa. holds its 2020 primary on April 28, right at the midpoint of the Democratic calendar.

This story was updated with a comment from the PAGOP and the RNC. 

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