Despite ‘stop and frisk,’ Michael Bloomberg gains real traction with black voters

Chuck Ross, DCNF

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: Democratic presidential candidate, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks about affordable housing during a campaign event where he received an endorsement from District of Columbia Mayor, Muriel Bowser, on January 30, 2020 in Washington, DC. The first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses will be held February 3. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) — (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

A national political poll of Democratic voters released Monday shows that Michael Bloomberg has gained serious traction with black voters, despite his support for the practice of “stop and frisk” when he was mayor of New York City.

The Quinnipiac poll, which surveyed 665 Democratic voters and independents who lean Democratic between Feb. 5-9, found that 22% of black voters support Bloomberg. That puts him second behind former Vice President Joe Biden (27%) and ahead of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (19%) with black voters.

The poll also shows that Bloomberg fares best in the Democratic field against President Donald Trump. Bloomberg leads Trump 51% to 42% in a general election matchup. Sanders tops Trump 51-43, while Biden leads Trump 50-43 in the poll.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Bloomberg, who kicked off his campaign on Nov. 24, 2019, has blitzed the airwaves and social media with ads through an entirely self-funded campaign. As part of his strategy, the billionaire media magnate has avoided campaigning in early primary and caucus states like New Hampshire and Iowa and instead aimed for a strong showing on Super Tuesday, March 3, when 14 states hold their primaries.

Bloomberg has seen a sharp increase in support across the Democratic field since his late entree to the race, but his surge with black voters is something of a surprise given his record on racially charged issues.

As mayor of New York, Bloomberg implemented and defended so-called “stop and frisk” policies that led to the disproportionate arrests of black and Hispanic residents.

Bloomberg apologized for supporting stop and frisk during a speech at a black church in Brooklyn days before announcing his presidential bid.

“I was wrong, and I am sorry,” Bloomberg said on Nov. 17.

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