A new video from Michael Bloomberg makes it clear he sees Bernie Sanders as his foil.
More specifically, the former mayor is spotlighting online harassment by so-called "Bernie Bros" — though Sanders has condemned such behavior.
"You can totally have disagreements with Mike Bloomberg, you can have disagreements with any candidate on the stage," said Sabrina Singh, a national spokeswoman for the Bloomberg campaign. "But to go after and launch such personal attacks, that is not what we need as a party. Let's save that for the Trump Republicans to do that for themselves."
Members of Bloomberg's team then said they see Trump and Sanders as similar.
"It's a shameful turn of events to see Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump deploy the very same attacks and tactics against Mike, but the reason is clear," Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said in a statement. "At this point, the primary is Bernie's to lose, and ours to win."
Sanders countered by tweeting a photo of Bloomberg and Trump together:
He has continuously hit Bloomberg on his personal wealth.
"Democracy to me means one person, one vote. Not Bloomberg or anybody else spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to buy an election," the Vermont senator said at a rally in Denver.
Bloomberg and Sanders, both leaders in national polling, have been acting like it's a two-man race. After all, each sees the other as standing for what they do not.
"If you look at the nature of their campaigns, they're polar opposites. Bernie's campaign is very grassroots in its inception and its philosophy," said Sanders surrogate Luis Sepulveda, a Democratic state senator representing parts of the Bronx. "The current ad that Bloomberg has is disingenuous at best because I've seen on social media, cases where his supporters have been attacking Bernie and comparing him to communists and socialists and all that nonsense."
Sepulveda went on to say acrimony on anyone's part only helps Trump and hurts Democrats' chances. Bloomberg had said he would back whoever wins the party's nomination, even if it is not him.
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ADDITIONAL BLOOMBERG 2020 COVERAGE
Amid Questions About His Record on Women, Bloomberg Campaigns For Their Votes in Manhattan
Bloomberg Now Backs a $15 Minimum Wage — a Change in Stance
Bloomberg Is a Democrat With a History of Backing Republicans — Including In 2018
What Bloomberg Did — and Didn't Do — When It Came to Taxing Wealthier People
It's Clear Bloomberg's NYC Record is Following Him on the 2020 Campaign Trail
Mike Bloomberg Is Worth About $54B. Is That Actually a Weakness For a Democrat Now?
Bloomberg's Stop-and-Frisk Apology Is a Far Cry From His Defense When He Was Mayor
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