Former mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York has qualified for Wednesday’s debate in Las Vegas, the first time the billionaire will appear onstage alongside his Democratic presidential rivals.
A national poll from NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist released on Tuesday showed Bloomberg with 19 per cent support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, putting him in second place behind Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who had 31 per cent. That was a substantial surge since the group’s poll in December, when Bloomberg received only 4 per cent support.
The survey was the fourth national qualifying poll since mid-January that showed Bloomberg with at least 10 per cent support, enough to earn him an invitation to the debate stage before the deadline.
Bloomberg will face off against Sanders; Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; former Vice-President Joseph R. Biden Jr; and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
The debate will be hosted by NBC News, MSNBC and The Nevada Independent. Bloomberg’s 19 per cent mark was his highest level of support in any debate-qualifying national poll to date.
