Bloomberg To Pass On Iowa NH Focus On Super Tuesday States

(Associated Press) WASHINGTON Michael Bloomberg plans to skip early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire if he launches a presidential bid and instead focus his efforts on the crush of states that vote on Super Tuesday and beyond. Its a strategy that acknowledges the limitations of entering the race at this late stage and the opportunities afforded by the billionaires vast personal wealth. Bloomberg adviser Howard Wolfson says other candidates already have a big head start in the first four states to vote Iowa New Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina and Bloomberg needs to be realistic about where he can make up ground. If we run we are confident we can win in states voting on Super Tuesday and beyond where we will start on an even footing" Wolfson said. Nearly a quarter of primary delegates up for grabs in the March 3 Super Tuesday contests. Bloomberg qualified Friday to get on the ballot in Alabama one of the Super Tuesday states. His team is also making plans to file in Arkansas which has a Tuesday deadline. Bloombergs candidacy has the potential to upend the Democratic race less than three months before primary voting begins. The billionaire businessman initially ruled out a 2020 run but began to reconsider in recent weeks citing concerns about the ability of the current crop of contenders to defeat President Donald Trump.