Bloomberg's final bill: $1 billion for a 104-day campaign

(Politico) Mike Bloomberg ended his ill-fated presidential bid on March 4, but his campaign still shelled out nine figures last month anyway, taking his total spending to more than $1 billion in a losing run for the Democratic nomination.

The billionaire’s campaign spent $176 million in March, according to the campaign finance report Bloomberg filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday. That pushed his spending north of $1 billion for a campaign that lasted a bit over four months.

It isn’t unusual for campaigns to spend some money after they end — but the staggering size of Bloomberg’s post-dropout spending illustrates the unusual scale of his campaign, which ultimately saw the media mogul win only one contest: American Samoa. He did net delegates on Super Tuesday as well, but he spent more than $17 million for each delegate acquired.

Bloomberg’s campaign paid out $23.3 million in salary, fringe benefits and payroll taxes and fees in March alone, according to the campaign finance filing. However, the billionaire also left many former staffers furious by cutting them loose last month. Bloomberg’s campaign enticed Democratic operatives across the country with promises of a paying job through the November election, regardless of whether he ultimately won the nomination or not.

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https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/20/bloomberg-1-billion-104-day-campaign-197216

My suggestion to Mike Bloomberg: There are almost 6 million Americans in over 30 states that can't vote in November because paying off their court ordered costs is a direct or indirect requirement for voting. Many of them are financially struggling just to buy food. If you pay off all their legal financial obligations so their voting rights are restored, those 6 million folks just might swing the outcome of a national election and save us from a second term of terror. You are a private citizen now, please do this!