Michael Bloomberg Makes A Strong Super Tuesday Showing In Colorado

Lynne Sladky/AP
Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg waves during a primary election night rally, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Updated Mar 4, 8:17 a.m.

Michael Bloomberg announced the suspension of his campaign Wednesday morning after Super Tuesday. Bloomberg failed to win any of the 14 Super Tuesday states after spending more than $500 million on his campaign. Our original story continues below.
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A strong showing on Super Tuesday can launch a candidate to the nomination, a weak one can virtually end a campaign.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has seen his White House hopes re-energized with his March 3 primary showing. Sanders picked up some key states (Colorado included) as well. At least in the Centennial State, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — and his big ad spending — has found some traction.

The Associated Press called the race in Colorado for Bernie Sanders right as the polls closed at 7 p.m. MST. Bloomberg and Biden were just behind him in the lower 20 percentages of the vote as early returns rolled in. The businessman held early leads in Pitkin, Cheyenne, and Yuma counties.

Earlier on Super Tuesday, as he dropped his ballot off at the El Paso County Courthouse in Colorado Springs, voter David Corry said that despite recent endorsements from candidates who dropped out in Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, he does not think Biden has what’s needed to take on President Donald Trump.

Corry said Bloomberg’s unprecedented third term as mayor of New York says a lot about the billionaire media mogul’s track record. 

“We need somebody to make the trains run on time,” Corry said. “Michael Bloomberg is a data-driven guy. He’s very smart and someone who is a lot less dramatic and just interested in results.”

Despite the apparent Rocky Mountain success, Bloomberg plans to reassess whether he should stay in the race after disappointing results in Tuesday's primaries. A person close to the Bloomberg campaign confirmed the deliberations to the Associated Press.

Sanders’s quickly-declared victory alongside the strong performance of Bloomberg and Biden could signal a potential schism between growing numbers of young, college-educated voters and the traditional, more moderate party establishment.

According to VoteCast Surveys from the Associated Press, Colorado voters in the primary were looking for fundamental change — not status quo. Democratic primary voters ranked health care and climate change as the most important issues above other issues such as the economy, race relations, foreign policy and other social issues.

CPR’s Dan Boyce, Jim Hill contributed to this report.