Michael Bloomberg’s campaign expects that Joe Biden’s post-South Carolina rise – and the negative impact it could have on the former New York mayor – could be clearest in Virginia, a Bloomberg aide tells CNN.
Bloomberg’s campaign, before Biden’s South Carolina win, saw Virginia as a place that they were competitive in. They had a sizable team on the ground, had spent nearly $18 million on TV and digital ads in Virginia and Bloomberg spent millions to help flip the commonwealth’s legislative bodies in 2018.
But then Biden ran away with South Carolina and, this aide argues, the tide began to turn.
The reason: The media attention and boost from the South Carolina win; a slew of endorsements, including from Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and a host of the state’s congressional delegation; and the trio of top endorsements Biden received on Monday from Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke.
“Our operation is good there,” the aide said, “but if you think of Virginia as a state that became blue with Obama’s entrance, then it’s a breeding ground for Biden voters.”