Bloomberg spent more than $188 million in fourth quarter

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign spent more than $188 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to new Federal Election Commission filings. 

Bloomberg, a billionaire who is entirely self-funding his campaign, donated $200 million to his campaign in that same period. His campaign had about $12 million in cash on hand by the end of 2019.

The former mayor, who entered the race in November, is not competing in the early voting contests, focusing his considerable resources on the Super Tuesday states, which vote March 3.

The candidate spent roughly $132 million on TV advertisements, in addition to $8.19 million on digital ads. 

Bloomberg’s efforts appear to have paid off in recent polls. A Morning Consult survey released earlier this week showed Bloomberg hitting 12 percent support, surpassing former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D). 

He has also scored a number of congressional and mayoral endorsements in recent weeks. 

Six members of Congress threw their support behind Bloomberg this month, including Utah’s lone Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams on Friday. 

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) endorsed Bloomberg on Thursday, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) announced her support for him last week. They are among two dozen former and current mayors supporting him.