President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski says the Democratic party needs to nominate a candidate such as Michael Bloomberg in order to have a chance at winning in 2020.
The former New York mayor, Lewandowski said, could have a "very competitive race" due to his financial standing, previous work, support from progressives, and his status as an "American success story."
"He checks many, many boxes in the progressive movement," Lewandowski told a Christian Science Monitor breakfast Wednesday. "He's exceptionally wealthy. He has 100 percent name recognition."
Lewandowski has maintained ties with the Trump administration despite being fired as Trump's campaign manager two years ago. Vice President Mike Pence in May named Lewandowski as a senior adviser to his leadership political-action committee.
Bloomberg, the founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P., is worth $52.2 billion, according to Forbes. He also served three terms as mayor of New York City between 2002 and 2013.
Lewandowski said Bloomberg's fortune could aid his campaign in two ways.
The first way is his ability to self fund his campaign, which, Lewandowski pointed out he did in the past when running for Mayor of New York City. In 2009, Bloomberg spent over $100 million on his own race.
"With all due respect to the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and senators and congressman and governors, and all these people who think they are going to be the Democratic nominee, [Bloomberg] has all the financial [backing]," Lewandowski said. "He could literally write a check for $250 million tomorrow, and it's a rounding error in his bank account."
In addition, Lewandowski believes Bloomberg's fortune could work in his favor because, like Trump, he is as an "American success story."
Lewandowski believes the fact Bloomberg "didn't inherit it, he built it all on his own" could appeal to voters.
While Bloomberg is a former mayor of the nation's largest city, Lewandowski said his status as a working professional and not an office-holder could be even more important to a possible campaign.
"If I was the Democrat, I would be looking for a candidate that is not saddled with casting votes in Washington, D.C., and being part of the culture in D.C., to try and be the next person to get through a competitive primary," Lewandowski said.
In order to have a chance against President Trump, Lewandowski said Bloomberg would need to emphasize his work in business creating jobs, because that is what would positively influence voters in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Kimberly Burton, an incoming junior at Temple University in Philadelphia, is a summer intern at the Washington, D.C., bureau of Newsmax.
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