Democratic candidates have spent the last two years hosting rallies, watching polls and meeting with Americans all over the country to try to secure their vote for president, but this is not the case for former Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York, who announced his candidacy in November.  

Bloomberg said due to his late entry, he did not participate in the Iowa and Nevada caucuses or the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries but instead will appear on the ballot for the first time in the March 3 contests, also known as Super Tuesday.

According to the RealClearPolitics polling average of national likely Democratic primary voters, Bloomberg is sitting at 15.3 percent support, setting him back fewer than two points from former Vice President Joe Biden. Bloomberg and Biden are more than 12 percent behind frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders. 

Bloomberg’s campaign does not accept donations and has spent more than $400 million in radio and television ads. 

Some points of Bloomberg’s platform include raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, enhancing worker’s rights and benefits and investing in local communities to help create jobs.

According to the Mike Bloomberg 2020 website, Bloomberg’s plans for education are to launch innovative partnerships with colleges and make career and technical training more affordable. The candidate released an education plan last Monday. 

Bloomberg was a registered Democrat until 2001, when he registered as a Republican to run for mayor. Since then, Bloomberg has also been a registered independent, but he returned to the Democratic Party in 2018.

Aaron Pickrell is the Bloomberg state director for Ohio and the Midwest adviser for the Bloomberg campaign.

Pickrell said even though Bloomberg has been registered outside of the Democratic Party, the real things voters should be focused on are the progressive work he has done throughout his life.

“Ultimately, you focus on what his record is and what he fought for his whole life and what he is advocating for that he would do as president,” Pickrell said. “He has always been a strong advocate of addressing climate change; he has always been a strong advocate for addressing gun safety measures. I think at the end of the day, it is about what you are going to be advocating for, and he has a very progressive record in the past, and he is advocating for a very progressive agenda that he would implement when he is president.”

Pickrell said he believes Bloomberg has the best chance at beating Trump in the end.

“Mike’s experience is the best to take Trump on as a business executive, and as the Mayor of New York City, he has the government and the professional experience to be a great leader,” Pickrell said. “I also think because of his willingness to spend his own money to ensure that he has the resources and infrastructure necessary is a really valuable asset. At the end of the day, it comes down to being able to communicate your message to voters and show why you would be a better candidate than your opponent, and I think Mike’s record, the policies that he is advocating for that he would implement as president, and the resources that he is putting into the campaign and the infrastructure he has built put him as being the best opponent to beat Trump.”