Bloomberg opens wallet to help Joe Biden

NEW YORK - Billionaire Michael Bloomberg says he will spend $100 million in Florida to help Joe Biden.

Michael Bloomberg, who spent $1 billion of his own money on a failed 2020 presidential bid, will inject at least $100 million to help Democrat Joe Biden's campaign against President Donald Trump in Florida.

The billionaire's decision comes at a critical moment in the final 51 days of the race, with polls showing a close race in the battleground state and no financial advantage for the sitting president.

Trump's initial financial supremacy over former Vice President Biden has evaporated after the Republican's campaign spent freely and Democratic fundraising surged once the party's divisive primary ended.

"Mike Bloomberg is committed to helping defeat Trump, and that is going to happen in the battleground states," said Bloomberg adviser Kevin Sheekey, who added that the spending "will mean Democrats and the Biden campaign can invest even more heavily in other key states like Pennsylvania, which will be critical to a Biden victory."
Even before Bloomberg's spending, both campaigns were expecting Florida to be the most expensive state in which to campaign. It will be the biggest prize among competitive states on Election Day, offering 29 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win.

Voting by mail in the state starts on Sept. 24, and Biden is planning his first in-person visit to Florida of the general election season on Tuesday.