Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a late addition to the 2020 Democratic field of candidates. While most candidates would be worried about raising funds, Bloomberg is unphased by that tidbit. After all, he's a billionaire and he's not afraid to spend his own money on his campaign. But other candidates take issue with his ability to self-fund.
"Is there room in the Democratic Party, the Democratic primary, for Michael Bloomberg? Is there room for a candidate like him who is worth what he’s worth and financing what he’s financing to compete for this, the nomination to run as a Democrat for president of the United States?” MSNBC's David Gura asked.
Warren said she believes everyone, regardless of their wealth, should have the ability to run and "put their ideas out there." What she takes issue with rich people using their own money to fund their campaigns.
“The part I object to is the billionaire being able to reach in his own pocket and throw down, you know, a couple hundred million dollars in order to finance their campaign because what that does is that just short circuits all of democracy," the Massachusetts senator explained. "It means that his voice is enormously loud, but the voice of all the people who pitch in $5 or $25, much less. That’s the fundamental issue here. Billionaire wants to run for president on the democratic ticket, that’s fine. Just don’t use your own money to do it. You go out and raise grassroots donations."
In addition to raising money from supporters, Warren believes candidates "don’t get to skip the democracy part" and should meet with Americans to hear their concerns and the issues that impact their everyday lives. of this either.
"That’s how this democratic process should work because it’s not just about the individual candidate. It’s about how, as a party, we really get ourselves back to our core values," she explained. "We are the party of working people and we need to remember that. We need to water those roots and make them grow because we have this chance in 2020 to really have a strong party, to have a party that’s out there in the fight all the way against Donald Trump, and that not only means we get to beat Donald Trump, it means we get to make real change in this country, make this country work, not just for those at the top. Make it work for everybody.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she has no issues with billionaires running for president, she just thinks they shouldn't be able to fund their own campaign. pic.twitter.com/deuQ5b7j1y
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 16, 2020
Join the conversation as a VIP Member