Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D-N.Y.) has reportedly been paying hundreds of Californians to support him by posting pro-Bloomberg content on social media and encouraging their friends to vote for him, as The Daily Caller reports.
The operation consists of about 500 so-called “deputy digital organizers,” who are being paid $2,500 a month for approximately 20 to 30 hours of work per week, consisting mostly of making social media posts in support of the candidate. According to a Wall Street Journal report, California could also be a test-run for a nationwide roll-out of such an operation.
This tactic is a sign of Bloomberg’s desperation to stop Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), who has been surging in all of the polls in California. Sanders currently maintains double-digit leads in all polling aggregates in the state, which is the largest delegate prize of the primary season, with over 400 delegates at stake.
The sheer size and vast spending of Bloomberg’s operation has drawn the ire of all of the other remaining candidates. On Wednesday night, every single candidate on stage for the ninth primary debate took turns taking shots at Bloomberg, over such issues as his wealth, his “stop-and-frisk” policy as mayor, and alleged sexism towards women in his company.