SAN JOSE, Calif. — The billionaire leader of the country’s most populous city on Friday came out in support of the billionaire hoping to lead the nation’s most populous state, saying executive experience is what today’s political leaders need.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg campaigned with Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose. His visit comes two days after a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found her trailing Democrat Jerry Brown by 8 percentage points.
Bloomberg, who had no political experience when he first ran for New York mayor in 2001, said the former eBay chief executive is uniquely qualified to tackle California’s problems, including high unemployment, recurring budget deficits and a troubled school system.
“Everything she’s done is applicable to fixing the problems in this state,” he said.
The mayor, a Democrat turned Republican turned independent, drew parallels between himself and Whitman, saying their unconventional political paths have allowed them to bypass special-interest groups and partisan bickering. “She made her own money, and she’s willing to spend it to make the citizens of California and of the United States better,” he said.
