Seven Democratic members of the Mississippi House endorsed former New York City Mayor and Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg on Thursday.
The lawmakers endorsing Bloomberg are:
- Rep. Bo Brown of Jackson
- Rep. Oscar Denton of Vicksburg
- Rep. John Faulkner of Holly Springs
- Rep. John Hines of Greenville
- Rep. Abe Hudson of Shelby
- Rep. Hester Jackson-McCray of Horn Lake
- Rep. Cheikh Taylor of Starkville
This week, Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Steve Benjamin stumped for Bloomberg while in Southaven.
With the Democratic field narrowing following the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary, Bloomberg has yet to receive any delegates in the race for the party nomination. As it stands, former Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders are leading the pack with 22 and 21 delegates, respectively. The campaigns of former Vice President Joe Biden, once viewed as the front runner for Democrats, and Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren are floundering as South Carolina’s primary nears, with Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar making a surge as of late.
The seven Mississippi lawmakers endorsing Bloomberg were quoted in the campaign’s release shown below:
Rep. Bo Brown: “Mike was right for New York City, and Mike will be right for America! As mayor, he created over 400,000 jobs, expanded access to health care and worked to reform the criminal justice system. He has plans that will do the same things for all of us.”
Rep. Oscar Denton: “One of the toughest issues facing Mississippians is the high incarceration rates among young, black men. As mayor, Mike worked with law enforcement and the courts to lower incarceration rates by nearly 40% overall and 63% among youths. As president, Mike will bring proven sentencing, prison, bail and juvenile justice reforms to Mississippi and the rest of the country.”
Rep. John Faulkner: “Health care in this country is expensive and hard to get for many Americans. Here in Mississippi, we have an estimated 300,000 hard-working citizens who can not afford health insurance. Part of Mike’s health care plan will prioritize reforms in states like Mississippi, where Republicans have refused to expand Medicaid. We need someone like Mike who will help the most underserved.”
Rep. John Hines: “While Mike and I may not see eye to eye on everything, moving the needle on economic development and generational wealth will help our communities move forward overall. Mike is a self-made billionaire, but he knows that his success would have been a lot harder — probably impossible — if he was an African American. That’s why he has an aggressive plan called the Greenwood Initiative to break down systematic roadblocks through increasing black homeownership, black-owned businesses and federal investments in the 100 most disadvantaged neighborhoods in our country. He has proven his abilities to provide economic improvements to distressed communities, and he will leverage federal resources to turn depressed areas into thriving communities.”
Rep. Abe Hudson: “From the start, Mike Bloomberg has had my attention. Now, after making a real commitment to be in Mississippi, I am fully supporting his candidacy. He is a businessman who understands the pulse of the global economy, varied health care issues and complex environmental issues. Mississippians want to participate in a progressive campaign that really has the influence to improve the South. I think he is the candidate who has the outside-the-box thinking to engage Mississippians.”
Rep. Hester Jackson-McCray: “A lot of people are struggling to make ends meet, and I ran for the Legislature to fight for them. Mike has been fighting for these same people for years, as a mayor and as a philanthropist. He has given millions of dollars to improve underserved communities, and his policies as mayor reflected that same passion. As president, he will continue to make sure everyone has the opportunity for good jobs, affordable health care, safe communities and fair treatment from our government.”
Rep. Cheikh Taylor: “We need a nominee who can really take the fight to President Donald Trump. Mike Bloomberg not only can do it, he already is doing it. He has spent hundreds of millions of his own money holding Trump accountable for his awful record. Mike isn’t afraid. He’s a fighter. He can win in November, and beating Donald Trump is the most important thing in this election.”
Frank Corder
