In this video Mike Bloomberg‘s Campaign Manager explains how the US Democratic primary system causes candidates to spend the vast majority of their time and money resources in States that will eventually vote Republican in the general election.
[00:00:00] – Christiane Amanpour
Kevin Sheekey is Michael Bloomberg‘s campaign manager and he’s joining me now. Kevin Sheekey, welcome. And I have to ask you the Ted Kennedy question if anybody remembers that. Why does he want to be president.
[00:00:12.930] – Kevin Sheekey
Who is I think Mike has stated himself he thinks Donald Trump is an existential threat across issues who cares about guns and gun control and the Environment and Public Health and other issues. And he thinks that if he doesn’t get in this race and actually shaken up Donald Trump is slated to win. Would you really look at a presidential campaign we don’t have a national campaign. We have a campaign that happens in six states that happens in Wisconsin Michigan Pennsylvania North Carolina Florida Arizona today and the New York Times poll this early this month.
We’ve pulled it ourselves. And if that election was occurring today Donald Trump has a pretty clear shot according to New York Times of actually winning all six states knowing who needs to win three or four of them. But if he had an election you know and it was in those states today you would win it even with the impeachment process.
Yeah listen I think I worry a lot that we’re setting ourselves up here too. Impeachment acquittal and re-election. There are about 31 congressional districts in this country that are swing districts. Mike Bloomberg spent an enormous amount of money and time and his own leadership to focus on 24 of those races last year all Republican. We elected 18 Democrats 15 of them are women. But if you’re in one of those districts today and you’re a moderate member of Congress almost all of them would tell you today these impeachment hearings are threatening their re-election.
Now if you think about that. Those are the districts to where we tilt the presidential election which by definition means he was in these impeachment proceedings are making the president’s re-election more likely not less likely.
I think that we fundamentally have a primary process which is really challenge. I want to I don’t want to say it’s flawed but we have a process which can give us a nominee who ultimately is not capable of winning the general election. If you told your international audience hey we have a campaign and we’re going to take all of our candidates and have them spend a year in one state right with all of the resources they raised more around the country to decide how to win that state right in that state by the way always going to go for Donald Trump in November there’s very little question about that.
Neither Democrat or Republican pollsters would disagree at this point that Iowa is a state and you could focus on that state so that you can 1 win 1 percent of the delegates that you need to win. Or by the way at this existential period you could travel the whole country and and look at the next wave of states which is going to be 40 percent of that vote and tie people together from coast to coast southeast and northwest. How would you spend your time and if you’re an international Europe CNN you’d say well of course I’m not going to spend all my time in that small state.
This is an existential crisis right. I’m going to try to pull this country together in the broadest possible coalition to defeat this man and remove him from office. And that’s what makes them a do we have to start bringing the fight to Donald Trump where he is now. Donald Trump has been running a campaign in those swing states for four years. Democrats get on the current pace aren’t scheduled to be there until August. And this campaign just can’t wait.
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