Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s political action committee is unleashing yet another advertisement—this one featuring himself, in a plea to voters on behalf of Democrats ahead of Tuesday’s midterms.
It’s his third recent national ad for the midterms but the first in which Bloomberg himself has appeared.
Unlike previous ads the billionaire has funded this election cycle, the latest one features Bloomberg himself. Speaking directly to the camera and citing recent politically-charged violence and fear mongering over immigration, Bloomberg urges Americans to vote for Democratic candidates.
“Political violence tears at the heart of our democracy. And violence against a religious group, in a house of God, tears at the heart of our humanity. At these moments of great national tragedy, we look to Washington to lead… we expect a plan,” says Bloomberg.
His appearance in the ad, which will air for the first time on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” will stoke further speculation that he’ll seek a presidential run in 2020.
In an exclusive interview with CNN last week, Bloomberg, who has spent roughly $110 million to help Democrats win control of Congress, sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s response to the deadly mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, saying Trump is partly responsible for the rise in hate and violence.
“When he goes around getting people to scream and hate, bad things happen, and you saw the results here,” said Bloomberg. He went on to say that the President “should be unifying and instead he is exciting people, inciting people.”
The ad will air on CNN, MSNBC and major broadcast television networks through Monday, according to a news release announcing the ad.
“The country is deeply divided. The president and Republicans are fueling that division, and that holds us back as a nation. I’m unwilling to sit by and accept it,” said Bloomberg in the release.