Team Bloomberg Getting Early Start in Hudson Valley

The political season has officially begun in the Hudson Valley, and one candidate is getting a jump on the competition.

Now that the Iowa caucus is over (well, sort of), the primary campaigns are getting into full swing across New York State. Here in the Hudson Valley, one candidate seems to be the most visible right now, trying to get an early start on spreading the word about his campaign.

Michael Bloomberg's team was spotted on Route 9 near Price Chopper on Tuesday handing out lawn signs and attempting to convert undecided Democratic voters. Campaign organizers were giving out free coffee and signs for people to display in front of their homes and businesses.

Coincidentally, on Monday night I received my first political phone call of the 2020 election, and it just so happened to be from the Bloomberg campaign. Known for serving 12 years as mayor of New York City, Bloomberg most likely needs to get his home state behind him if he wants to generate some momentum for his nationwide campaign.

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Even though New York isn't considered a battleground state, several primary candidates visited the Hudson Valley during the 2016 election including Donald Trump, who held a rally at the Mid Hudson Civic Center and Bernie Sanders who brought along celebrity guests to join him at Marist College. That year, Trump and Clinton both secured the nomination for their respective parties in New York.

According to Bloomberg's campaign website, more events are scheduled this week, including a canvassing kickoff event at Barnes and Noble on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie on Friday. Other candidates have yet to get boots on the ground in the Hudson Valley. We were unable to find any events planned for Biden, Warren, Sanders or Buttigieg planned anywhere near our area in the coming weeks.

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