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Presidential Candidate Bloomberg Endorsed by 3 Black Lawmakers

Reuters

   NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg on
   Wednesday won endorsements from three Congressional Black Caucus
   members, a positive sign for his campaign, which has drawn scrutiny
   lately over his past support for a controversial policing tactic.

   The three included Democratic U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks of New
   York City, where Bloomberg was mayor for 12 years.

   As a senior caucus member and chair of a caucus fundraising arm, his is
   one of the highest-profile endorsements yet for Bloomberg, who is
   seeking his party's nomination to challenge Republican President Donald
   Trump in November's election.

   Meek's endorsement, first reported by Reuters, signals that Bloomberg
   is building support among some top African-American politicians despite
   a 2015 audio recording that surfaced on Tuesday. In the recording,
   Bloomberg made a blunt defense of a policing strategy during his
   mayoralty, known as stop-and-frisk, that disproportionately ensnared
   blacks and Latinos.

   Meeks said he backed Bloomberg for his economic policies and ability to
   beat Trump.

   "The most vulnerable communities in America cannot weather another four
   years of a Donald Trump presidency," Meeks said in a statement.

   Bloomberg has been rising in public opinion polls despite not competing
   in the first four state contests for the Democratic nomination: Iowa,
   New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

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