Bloomberg fishes for delegates among Americans in Israel

Campaign literature put out before the event said that Bloomberg, who along with Bernie Sanders is Jewish, has been “a champion for Israel."

FEBRUARY 26, 2020 21:01

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Behind Bloomberg: Wall Street in the 1960s. Behind Sanders: Jewish salespeople on the Lower East Side of New York City in the 1890s. (photo credit: GETTY IMAGES/JTA MONTAGE) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Behind Bloomberg: Wall Street in the 1960s. Behind Sanders: Jewish salespeople on the Lower East Side of New York City in the 1890s.

(photo credit: GETTY IMAGES/JTA MONTAGE)

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg took his campaign to Tel Aviv Wednesday night to attempt to gain delegates in next month's Democrats Abroad primary.

The Bloomberg campaign held a “United for Mike” outreach event in Tel-Aviv on Wednesday with the campaign’s Jewish outreach director, Abigail Pogrebin, presenting the case for the candidate via a call from the US.

Campaign literature put out before the event said that Bloomberg, who along with Bernie Sanders is Jewish, has been “a champion for Israel and has called out antisemitism in whatever guise it appears.”

According to the material, “Key to the American partnership with Israel is its bipartisan bulwark of support, which Trump tries to undermine every day. Mike Bloomberg will never make Israel a political football and no political winds will shake his commitment to a country that means so much to him personally.”

In the Democratic debate in South Carolina on Tuesday where Sanders said he would consider moving the US embassy back to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem, Bloomberg said it was a mistake to move the embassy without getting anything in return from Israel, but that “it was done, so you're going to have to leave it there.”

The Democrats Abroad primary awards 21 delegates and will take place around the world from March 3rd through March 10th.

To characterize AIPAC as a racist platform is offensive, divisive, and dangerous to Israel - America’s most important ally in the Middle East - and to Jews. How can Bernie profess he's the path to unity when he's already managed to polarize a people and a party?#DemDebate
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 26, 2020

In Israel, in-person voting locations include Tel-Aviv on March 3rd — Super Tuesday — and in Jerusalem on Friday, March 6th. Results will be announced on March 23.

In the Democrats Abroad primary in Israel in 2016, Sanders won 60% of the vote, compared to 39% for his raval at the time, Hillary Clinton.

Bloomberg currently does not have any pledged delegates, after not running in the Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada contests. His first test will come on Tuesday in the Super Tuesday primaries where 16 states, territories and the Democrats Abroad will vote.