Yang: Bloomberg made ‘really crucial mistake’ not entering SC race

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang said former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg made a mistake to not enter the South Carolina primary, a move that may cede momentum to the victor, former Vice President Joe Biden. 

“To me, Bloomberg made a really crucial mistake by not getting in on South Carolina because he was on the debate stage in South Carolina, he had many endorsements, including from mayors in South Carolina, and advertising really works in South Carolina,” Yang said on CNN. 

“If he had put his ad dollars to work in South Carolina, I believe he’d have double digits tonight and he’d be suppressing Biden’s margin of victory,” Yang said. “But the fact that he waited for Super Tuesday is going to give Joe a burst of momentum.”

The remarks came after Biden secured a resounding victory in the Palmetto State’s primary largely due to his strong support from black voters. 

The win was a crucial one for the former vice president, who is running in a crowded centrist lane and put up lackluster showings in Iowa and New Hampshire as well as a distant second-place finish in Nevada. 

Bloomberg is also running in that centrist lane, presenting himself as an alternative to Biden and as a moderate foil to President Trump, whom he claims he can beat in November. Bloomberg is bankrolling his own campaign and did not contest the first four nominating states, including South Carolina.

Instead, Bloomberg has unleashed a vast ad campaign in the 15 states and territories that will hold nominating contests during Super Tuesday, hoping he can take a chunk of the delegates that are up for grabs March 3. 

However, Bloomberg may have trouble making headway on the day, as he was was savaged earlier this month during a debate in Nevada in which he was attacked for his past defense of the stop-and-frisk policy and his prior treatment of women, garnering an avalanche of negative headlines.