Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg plans to open a campaign office in downtown Syracuse, the city’s first for the 2020 presidential campaign.

The office will open at 216 W. Genesee St., near Clinton Square, in the next two weeks, Syracuse.com reported. The billionaire Democratic presidential candidate is getting an early start on New York state’s April 28 primary, planning 19 additional offices across the state.

His campaign has focused advertising spending and outreach in Super Tuesday states, which vote on March 3 and provide a combined one-third of delegates to the Democratic National Convention. New York sends 278 delegates, second in number to California. Bloomberg’s self-funded campaign has spent more than $124 million on ads in Super Tuesday states, outspending rivals by far.

Bloomberg’s campaign has hired more than 100 staffers for New York state, Syracuse.com reported. He qualified for the Democratic debate on Tuesday with 19% nationally in a NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. Little polling information is available for New York’s primary because it is still two months away.

Four staffers at Bloomberg’s Syracuse office will coordinate volunteers for phone banks and events, according to Syracuse.com. It’s unclear if any other Democratic presidential candidates plan to open offices soon in central New York.

Bloomberg has connections in the region due to his work as New York City mayor and through his Bloomberg Philanthropies. The city of Syracuse received a $1.3 million  grant in 2015 to create its Office of Innovation. Mayor Ben Walsh has continued the i-team as a city department.

Bloomberg Philanthropies also selected Syracuse in 2016 to join What Works Cities, an initiative to help cities use data improve government efficiency.

A spokesperson for Walsh told Syracuse.com that Bloomberg’s campaign asked for an endorsement before he launched his presidential campaign. Walsh doesn’t currently have plans to endorse any candidate, the spokesperson said.

Published on February 20, 2020 at 3:41 pm

Contact Casey: casey@dailyorange.com | @caseydarnell_