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A new ad from the Independence USA PAC backs Michigan Gov. rick Snyder, who is running for-re-election.
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Update: Bloomberg's PAC also plans ads supporting Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Gary Peters
LANSING, MI — Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving another assist to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican running for re-election against Democrat Mark Schauer.
Bloomberg’s Independence USA political action committee is starting to air pro-Snyder “issue advertisements” in the run-up to the November 4 general election.
The full size and scope of the ad buy is unclear — the treasurer has not yet responded to a request for comment — but it is believed to be significant. Public records show the Super PAC is running spots on broadcast television stations beginning this week in the Detroit market.
Bloomberg, a former Democrat who won elected office as a Republican and independent, held a fundraiser for Snyder in New York earlier this year and personally gave a maximum $6,800 to the governor's re-election campaign.
The Super PAC’s new Snyder ad highlights some of the same accomplishments his campaign touts — including private sector job growth and a falling unemployment rate — and casts him as “the governor that put partisanship aside” and delivered results.
Bloomberg joined Snyder in Detroit last month to celebrate a small business program, comparing the city to New York in the 1970s, and the two have also shared the stage at several immigration related events.
Independence USA has spent nearly $3 million in federal races this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, and tends to lean "liberal." The group backed Democrat Cory Booker's successful U.S. Senate run in 2013.
The Snyder campaign said it was not involved in the Bloomberg ad and did not offer comment. The Schauer campaign took the opportunity to note that a “New York billionaire” was spending on the election.
Outside groups, led by the Republican Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association, are already outspending Snyder and Schauer by wide margins, a trend that is expected to continue if the race remains competitive.
Recent polls show Snyder leading Schauer by an average of 4.2 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics, which continues to rank the race as a “toss up.”
Total spending between the gubernatorial campaigns and supporters had topped $19 million through the end of September, according to the non-profit Michigan Campaign Finance Network, with pro-Snyder forces holding a small edge.
“It’s a lot more money involved than 2010,” said Rich Robinson, head of the MCFN. “Most of the money and most of the competition in 2010 was around the two primaries.”
The Schauer campaign, which has spent less than $1 million of its own money on TV ads so far this year, is expected to launch a new television spot this week and remain on the air through November. The DGA also continues to run ads on his behalf.
Update: The New York Times reports Independence USA is spending $2.3 million on pro-Snyder ads in Michigan. The Schauer campaign, which released its own new ad Tuesday, said it has reserved more than $3 million in airtime through the general election.
Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.