A small group of fellow mayors across the country have backed Mayor Michael Bloomberg's longshot run for the White House.

But on Monday an endorsement came from much closer to home: Staten Island Rep. Max Rose officially endorsed Bloomberg's bid for president.

It is the first congressional endorsement for Bloomberg. Back in 2018, Bloomberg actually supported then-Rep. Dan Donovan. Rose beat Donovan, a Republican, to flip the seat to Democratic hands.

In a statement, Rose said, "Mayor Bloomberg's even keeled and visionary leadership is what we need to reduce the chaos, partisanship and hyper-vitriol that has overtaken Washington."

Rose was not available to go on camera.

It follows a busy few days for the former mayor. On Monday, he released an op-ed saying the primary calendar needs to be re-ordered to prioritize more diverse states. That came after he crisscrossed Texas by bus with his biggest endorsement yet: Judge Judy.

Over the weekend, Bloomberg reiterated his commitment to helping the Democratic nominee —even if it isn't him — beat President Donald Trump. He could spend a billion dollars on that effort.

"This country is divided. That's not good for the Democrats, it's not good for Republicans, it's not good for America," Bloomberg said Saturday. "But it all starts at the top."

Bloomberg's campaign, and the millions of dollars of spending on advertising that goes along with it, is clearly getting some attention.

"Trump repeatedly tried to undermine coverage for 134 million Americans with pre-existing conditions," a narrator in one Bloomberg ad said. "He just doesn't care if you have a pre-existing condition," the mayor himself said in the ad.

The president went after this ad Monday morning, tweeting that "Bloomberg is spending a lot of money on "false advertising."
 

 

That tweet from the president was criticized and widely found to be inaccurate.

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ADDITIONAL BLOOMBERG 2020 COVERAGE

Bloomberg Cuts Ties With Company That Used Prisoners to Make Calls for His Campaign

What Bloomberg Did — and Didn't Do — When It Came to Taxing Wealthier People

It's Clear Bloomberg's NYC Record is Following Him on the 2020 Campaign Trail

Mike Bloomberg Is Worth About $54B. Is That Actually a Weakness For a Democrat Now?

Bloomberg's Stop-and-Frisk Apology Is a Far Cry From His Defense When He Was Mayor

Bloomberg Planning to Spend $100M on Anti-Trump Ads in Swing States

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