Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is dropping $300,000 on ads in Oklahoma – news that follows Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) outraising his Democrat presidential counterparts in the Sooner State.
Sanders is outraising his competitors in Oklahoma, garnering $89,468, which is comprised of small donations, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data running through September 30.
“Working families across Oklahoma are giving $3, $18, $27 or whatever they can to help elect Bernie Sanders,” Sanders spokesman Joe Calvello said, according to the Oklahoman.
“Our team is immensely proud of the grassroots support we have across the state and the operation we are building. In 2016, Bernie won the Oklahoma primary in a dominating fashion, and we plan to do the same thing in 2020,” he added.
As a comparison, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has raised $66,074 in the same time frame, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) has raised $58,649.
While Bloomberg is not taking donations for his primary bid, he reportedly spent $300,000 on advertisements on the Super Tuesday state in recent days.
The Oklahoman reports:
Candidate filing for Oklahoma’s presidential primaries begins on Monday and runs through Wednesday. Oklahoma will be part of Super Tuesday on March 3, when 14 states, including Texas, California, Arkansas and Colorado, are expected to hold their contests.
Sanders, of Vermont, won Oklahoma’s Democratic presidential primary in 2016, defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The senator has the most extensive organization in Oklahoma this year and has already visited the state, holding events in Norman and Lawton in September.
Oklahoma plays a key role in Bloomberg’s controversial Super Tuesday strategy, virtually ignoring the first four contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.
“Our campaign is going to end the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality which exists in America today,” Sanders said during a rally in Coralville, Iowa, this month.
“So tonight, we say to Michael Bloomberg and other billionaires, ‘Sorry, you ain’t going to buy this election,'” he continued.
“You’re not going to get elected president by avoiding Iowa, by avoiding New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. You’re not going to buy this election by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on media in California,” he added. “Those days are gone”:
Sanders also said he was “disgusted” by Bloomberg’s multimillion-dollar ad blitz.
“I’m disgusted by the idea that Michael Bloomberg or any other billionaire thinks they can circumvent the political process and spend tens of millions of dollars to buy our elections,” Sanders said in a statement.
“It’s just the latest example of a rigged political system that we are going to change when we’re in the White House,” he continued.
“If you can’t build grassroots support for your candidacy, you have no business running for president,” he added. “The American people are sick and tired of the power of billionaires, and I suspect they won’t react well to someone trying to buy an election.”
Meanwhile, President Trump has seen an extraordinary amount of support from Oklahomans.
“President Trump and the Republican National Committee continue to set record-breaking fundraising numbers in Oklahoma and across the country, Trump reelection campaign spokeswoman Samantha Cotten told the paper.
“While Democrats spend their time focusing on partisan witch hunts and pushing socialist policies, President Trump and Republicans are in prime position to win up and down the ballot in 2020,” she added.
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