Bloomberg looks to reset campaign after debate performance

WASHINGTON — Billionaire Mike Bloomberg, looking to move past a widely panned Democratic presidential debate performance, returned to the campaign trail on Thursday as his top campaign aides promised “he was just warming up.”

“We fully expect Mike will continue to build on [Wednesday] night's performance when he appears on the stage in South Carolina next Tuesday,” Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said in a statement, referring to the Feb. 25 debate in Charleston.

Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor staging a self-financed presidential bid, found himself playing defense for the bulk of his debut on the presidential debate stage. The five other Democratic contenders attacked Bloomberg’s record as mayor and his reported history of making disparaging remarks against women.

Of the six candidates on stage — including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg — Bloomberg spoke the least, clocking in at just over 13 minutes compared to Warren, who topped the list with 17 minutes, according to a CNN analysis.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Utah on Thursday, Bloomberg appeared to make light of his performance asking the crowd: “So how was your night last night?”

Bloomberg used the post-debate rally to take aim at Sanders, the current front-runner of the field, who Bloomberg argued could not attract enough crossover voters to defeat President Donald Trump.

“The real winner in the debate last night was Donald Trump because I worry we may be on our way to nominating someone who cannot win in November,” Bloomberg said. “And if we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base like Sen. Sanders, it will be a fatal error. We need Democrats and independents and Republicans to win.”

Sanders’ senior campaign adviser, David Sirota, in a tweet posted shortly after Bloomberg’s speech, said the media mogul’s “campaign is basically a very expensive television commercial running for president. Last night, for the first time, the television commercial had to answer questions. It did not go well for the television commercial.”

Bloomberg’s campaign in the immediate hours after the debate sought to project that there was still momentum behind his insurgent campaign. The campaign rolled out a list of high-profile congressional endorsements which included Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), unveiled another campaign ad, and in media interviews conceded that Bloomberg had to “push back a little harder” in the next debate.

“Certainly he had a better second half of the debate than the first, I will admit that," Sheekey said during a morning appearance on MSNBC. "I think he's got his legs underneath him. And, like, you know, listen, I welcome them for the Bronx cheer they gave us last night, but I think that, you know, Mike will be back. And then I think this is a campaign that right now is just getting interesting."

Warren, who trained her sights on Bloomberg early in the night and experienced a bump in campaign fundraising after the debate, questioned whether the attacks against Bloomberg’s record would stick in the long run.

Appearing on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday, Warren said: "You know what I'll bet he's doing right now? I'll bet he's reaching in his pocket and spending $100 million more on advertising to try to erase everyone's memory of what happened last night."

Christina Greer, an associate professor of political science at Fordham University, said the debate “was not a great showing for Bloomberg” but noted that he “has enough money to recalibrate in the next two weeks.”

“He might not be able to undo all the damage, but he can definitely change the narrative,” Greer said.

Bloomberg has spent more than $400 million in campaign advertisements since launching his presidential bid in November and has pledged to spend “whatever it takes” to defeat Trump.

As the last candidate to enter the Democratic primary race, Bloomberg is banking on securing enough victories in more than a dozen “Super Tuesday” states that vote on March 3.