GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With three weeks until Michigan’s presidential primary, two Democratic candidates are opening campaign offices across the state including in Grand Rapids.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have both open offices in the city. Bloomberg opened his on Sunday and Sanders announced that his will be opening on Wednesday.
The Bloomberg office, located at 929 Fulton St., was one of four the campaign opened over the weekend. Michigan is a "top priority," the campaign said. Most candidates have been focusing on early primary voting states, like Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina but Bloomberg is setting up camp in Michigan.
"Mike Bloomberg is building a vast organization in the states across the country that will decide the election -- including Michigan where President Donald Trump won by just 10,000 votes in 2016 and Trump will be well-organized and well-funded," a statement from the campaign said. There are currently 65 Bloomberg staffers in Michigan.
The Sanders campaign is opening its Grand Rapids office, 1144 Wealthy St. SE, on Wednesday, with a debate watch party. It's the first of five campaign offices to be opening in Michigan. His team also announced locations opening in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint and Detroit.
“With the operation we're building in Michigan, Bernie Sanders will not only win the primary, but he will also be the only candidate with the energy and enthusiasm to flip this state back and defeat Donald Trump,” said Michigan State Coordinator for the Sanders campaign Michael Fasullo.
Even though Bloomberg joined the race late he has seen a recent surge in the polls. Sanders has been one of the top candidates for months now and he has a solid lead after early voting in Iowa and New Hampshire.
A poll from NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist released on Tuesday shows that Sanders is leading the Democratic race with 31% support and Bloomberg has climbed to 19% to be in second-place beating out candidates with strong name recognition like former Vice President Joe Biden.
In the 2016 presidential primary, Michigan voted for Sanders over then-candidate Hillary Clinton. Michigan is going to be a focus for Republicans and Democrats in the 2020 presidential race since it flipped from voting for President Barack Obama to electing Trump in 2016. However Trump only won Michigan by just over 10,700 votes.
Michigan’s presidential primary election is on March 10.
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