On Friday, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg became the first of the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates to hold a public rally in Monterey.
According to campaign staff, around 300 people attended the event, which took place inside the barn at the Cooper Molera Adobe in downtown Monterey.
Former Executive Director of the Sierra Club Carl Pope welcomed Bloomberg onto the stage.
“Mike's 100 percent clean energy plan can be accomplished,” he said.
Bloomberg focused his speech on climate change. He discussed recent wildfires that have ravaged California and sea level rise.
“It’s real and it's threatening your way of life. And we've got to do something about it,” Bloomberg said.
His campaign has a climate planwith big goals, such as cutting all carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030. He says he’ll do that by continuing to close coal-fired power plants, something he’s worked on with the Sierra Club.
Bloomberg says the next president must confront climate change and fix healthcare. He made the case for why he’s the best person for the job, but also said he’ll support whoever gets the Democratic nomination.
“The contrast between Donald Trump and I couldn't be any clearer in the race for president, I'm the un-Trump. He breaks promises. I hold myself accountable and keep them. He's a climate denier. I'm an engineer. And I actually believe in facts, data and science,” he said.
His visit on January, 17th marked Bloomberg’s third campaign trip to California. Before the Monterey rally, he stopped in Oakland and then continued on to Los Angeles.
Roxane Fritz, who attended the Monterey event, was looking forward to hearing Bloomberg's policies on the climate and healthcare. After the event, she said she was energized to help Bloomberg move forward.
"We're such a divided country right now. And, you know, he's run as a Republican at one point, too. And he knows what we're up against," Fritz said.
Bloomberg entered the race late, but the billionaire has already spent over $100 million on ads, making him the top-spenderof the democratic candidates. Bloomberg is not appearing in any debates because he’s not accepting campaign donations. He also won’t be competing in the first four primaries. Instead, he’s focusing on California. Super Tuesday is coming up on March 3. That’s when California and more than a dozen other states hold primaries.
According to RealClear Politics, Joe Biden is leading the polls nationally with an average of 27.2 percent on January 17. Bernie Sanders was at 19.2 percent support nationally, Elizabeth Warren was at 16 percent and Pete Buttigieg was at 7.2. The RealClear Politics average showed Bloomberg in fifth place with 6.6 percent.
