Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg on Thursday named former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as one of his national political co-chairs.
In the role, Rawlings-Blake joins several other former mayors: Philadelphia’s Michael Nutter, Miami’s Manny Diaz and Los Angeles’ Antonio Villaraigosa. Rawlings-Blake will advise the campaign on policy development and strategy and serve as a national surrogate for Bloomberg.
“Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was an innovative leader for Baltimore and a strong advocate for Americans in cities across the country as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors ― and we’ve worked together to address important issues in this election, like protecting communities from gun violence,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
“I am proud to endorse Mike Bloomberg for president of the United States. Mike has been a good friend and mentor to me for many years,” Rawlings-Blake said. “He is a no-nonsense leader who has taken on the country’s toughest fights.”
Asked if Rawlings-Blake was being paid for her work, the campaign declined to comment. Rawlings-Blake referred questions about her role to the campaign.
A billionaire and former New York mayor, Bloomberg is spending some of his considerable fortune saturating the country with television ads. He made his debate debut Wednesday night in Nevada. In recent national polls, Bloomberg has been in third, behind U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden.