FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg speaks during a campaign event at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Doug Strickland/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday qualified for this week’s Democratic presidential debate in Nevada, his campaign said in a statement, putting him on the same stage as his rivals in the race for the party’s nomination for the first time.
A late entry to the race, Bloomberg, 78, has risen in public opinion polls as he pours money from his estimated $60 billion personal fortune into a national campaign, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on television ads.
Reporting by Jason Lange and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Mike Collett-White