U of M cancels Bloomberg appearance
The University of Minnesota has canceled a planned lecture that was to feature former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, citing the increased likelihood that Bloomberg will run for president.
Bloomberg is edging closer to a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. He has filed for the ballot in multiple states but has yet to formally declare his candidacy.
The billionaire businessman was supposed to appear at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs in on Dec. 5 as part of the Distinguished Carlson Lecture series.
School officials said Bloomberg’s likely White House run caused them to reassess. They noted that university policy and federal law would prohibit the school from officially hosting an event with a candidate even if it wasn’t campaign related.
Bloomberg has yet to seek access to Minnesota’s presidential primary ballot. He has until Dec. 10 to approach DFL Party officials about adding his name to the candidate slate.
Bloomberg has had a Minnesota presence through groups he funded that are involved in gun control and climate policy debates. The political arm of the Everytown for Gun Safety was active in several DFL races in 2018, where the party flipped many legislative seats and control of the state House.
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