2020 Presidential Campaign Blog

Tim Gunn and Isaac Mizrahi Endorse Mike Bloomberg for President

FASHION ICONS TIM GUNN AND ISAAC MIZRAHI ENDORSE MIKE BLOOMBERG FOR PRESIDENT

Gunn and Mizrahi join newly formed Mike Bloomberg 2020 National LGBTQ+ Americans Leadership Council

Campaign also launches Proud with Mike, nationwide LGBTQ+ Americans outreach program

NEW YORK — Today, fashion industry leaders Tim Gunn and Isaac Mizrahi endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg for president, touting his long-standing commitment to the LGBTQ+ community and his bold plan to advance equality. Later today, Mike will unveil a comprehensive policy to ensure equal treatment of all LGBTQ+ Americans in the workplace and their communities, address disparities in health care and treatment, protect LGBTQ+ youth and families, and end violence against LGBTQ+ people.

“The fight for LGBTQ+ rights didn’t end with our marriage equality victory in the Supreme Court,” said Tim Gunn, host of the upcoming Amazon series “Making the Cut'' and former “Project Runway” host. “Five years later, it’s still legal in many states for an employer to fire an LGBTQ+ person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Mike Bloomberg knows this runs counter to America’s fundamental values of equality, liberty, and justice. And he has the compassion and courage of his convictions to fight for what’s right.”

Gunn and Mizrahi have joined the Bloomberg campaign’s National LGBTQ+ Leadership Council (“Leadership Council”), a group of national leaders who will provide strategic counsel in reaching all parts of the LGBTQ+ community. The Leadership Council will also spearhead “Proud with Mike,” the national outreach program to engage LGBTQ+ voters and share Mike’s agenda for equal rights. Later today, members of the Proud with Mike coalition will host organizing events in several states to brief local supporters on the policy agenda and have community discussions on the impact that Mike’s policies will have on their lives.

“Our country has come a long way since my days as a young boy afraid to come out of the closet, but there’s still so much more we need to do to create a safe and inclusive environment for all of our LGBTQ+ youth,” said designer and performer Isaac Mizrahi. “No LGBTQ+ young person should ever have to worry about whether they’ll get bullied at school just for being who they are or, even worse, end up homeless because their family doesn’t accept them. I’m proud to support Mike Bloomberg because he’s been a faithful friend to the LGBTQ+ community for many years and will fight for our safety and equal rights as president. As mayor, Mike created the ‘Respect for All’ initiative to stop bullying in New York City’s public schools. As president, he’ll launch a national ‘Respect for All’ program to keep LGBTQ+ young people safe in schools across America. Mike knows we shouldn’t have to tell young people it gets better. He’ll make sure it’s better for all of us from his first day in the White House.”

In addition to the “Respect for All” initiative, as mayor, Mike worked hard to promote equality for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. He extended anti-discrimination laws to include gender identity and launched programs to reduce homelessness for at-risk LGBTQ+ youth. During Mike’s tenure, New York City’s public hospital system became the first public healthcare system nationally to mandate comprehensive training to address LGBTQ+ health disparities.

Mike has supported marriage equality since 2005 and supported the fight for same-sex marriage in New York State, Maryland, Washington State, and Maine.

“I’m confident Mike will pass the Equality Act to protect LGBTQ+ Americans from discrimination in employment, housing, and other important areas that affect our daily lives,” said Tim Gunn. “He’s committed to end the harmful practice of conversion therapy, make investigating hate crimes a top federal priority, and protect LGBTQ+ refugees and those seeking asylum in our country. I’m voting for Mike because he will make it work, and get it done, for the LGBTQ+ community and all Americans.”

Members of the Leadership Council include, in alphabetical order by first name:

Chris Svoboda, producer and former president, Virginia Equality Bar Association

Danielle Yoo, Alumni Talent Executive at mthree

Gail Marquis, former U.S. Olympian and basketball player

Isaac Mizrahi, designer and performer

Jon Barrett, former Editor in Chief of The Advocate

Jonathan Mintz, Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund

Jorge Mursuli, former Executive Director of Save Dade

Mathew Shurka, Co-Founder of Born Perfect, a program of the National Center of Lesbian Rights to end conversion therapy

Michael Michaud, Maine State Co-Chair Mike Bloomberg 2020, former Congressman

Rev. Dr. Paula Stone Williams, Teaching Pastor, RLT Pathways

Tim Gunn, “Making the Cut” host and executive producer, former “Project Runway” host

Mike Gravel Campaign Ends; Gravel Endorses Sanders

Gravel Campaign Ends; Gravel Endorses Sanders

New York, NY: The Gravel campaign announced Tuesday that Senator Gravel will be dropping out to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders.

Senator Gravel launched his unusual bid for the presidency at the urging of two New York teenagers, David Oks and Henry Williams, who served as his campaign manager and chief of staff, respectively. He ran with the explicit goal not of winning but of moving the conversation to the left—and serving as an exponent for his long-held opposition to war, the military-industrial complex, and the corporate state.

The decision to end the campaign was not sudden and had been telegraphed in advance by the campaign for weeks. The campaign had been started with the intention of dropping out after the summer debates.

Gravel qualified for the Democratic debates in July, raking in 67,000 donations—more than several incumbent members of Congress, two governors, and the mayor of America’s most populous city—but was shut out due to criteria favoring polling over grassroots fundraising. The campaign, conducted largely via Twitter, also funded the airing of anti-Joe Biden ads in Iowa and nationwide.

“We were sad that Senator Gravel wasn’t included in the debates despite a massive grassroots upswell of donations, but it was an honor to work for such a great man. This campaign is ultimately a tribute to a true American hero,” Oks said.

The video, which was released on Twitter Tuesday morning and retweeted by Sanders’ campaign account, features Gravel speaking to the camera in his Monterey, California home. “My name is Mike Gravel. I’m proud, and honored, to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders for the presidency of the United States,” Gravel said.

Williams clarified that the endorsement is not a slight of other candidates. “We really like Tulsi Gabbard, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson, and Andrew Yang,” Williams said. “We love Bernie but have such a deep respect for each of them, despite any disagreements we might have. We hope that they all find their way into government at some point.”

Special praise was offered for Gabbard, whose anti-war stance aligns closely with that of Gravel. “She would be an excellent president of the United States, or vice president, whichever the circumstances permit,” Gravel said.

Gravel will advocate independently for Sanders as well as for Gabbard.

As promised, leftover funds will be donated to relief for Flint, Michigan and other charities.

Mike Gravel Qualifies for July DNC Debate with 65,000 Unique Donors

Mike Gravel: “We Made It.”
Announcement Follows the Gravel Campaign Hitting DNC Debate Threshold for 65,000 Donors

New York, NY: The Gravel campaign announced today that it has received contributions from 65,000 unique donors, meeting the DNC threshold to qualify for the July Democratic debates. Since launching in April, the campaign has raised over $300,000 with a just over $4 average donation, and its grassroots support continues to grow.

Senator Mike Gravel has the most progressive platform of any Democrat candidate, and is looking forward to sharing his views on the July debate stage in Michigan. “I’m grateful to every one of the 65,000 who donated to our campaign, and the thousands more that have followed and supported us,” Gravel said. “I will do all I can to ensure their voices not be silenced in this primary.”

On the debate stage, Gravel will demand that America withdraw troops from its bases abroad; end (and prevent future) forever wars; ban foreign arms sales; normalize relations with the Koreas; join the International Criminal Court; and send Henry Kissinger to the Hague. Audiences can also expect him to speak on decriminalizing drugs, giving amnesty to whistleblowers, and supporting sex workers.

STATEMENT FROM CAMPAIGN MANAGER ON DEBATE QUALIFICATION

“Now that we have reached the requisite number of donors, it is up to the DNC to show their commitment to a fair and open nominating process and include Sen. Gravel in the July debate. The campaign has retained counsel and is currently in talks with the DNC over the validity of the polling method of qualification, given that well over half of DNC’s approved polls methodically and consistently excluded Sen. Gravel despite the campaign’s documented, repeated outreach to both pollsters and the DNC for inclusion.

“It would be absurd if the Gravel campaign, standing at more than 65,000 donors with significant grassroots enthusiasm, is excluded based on polls that categorically refused to engage with us in good faith, while candidates like John Hickenloopers - at 13,000 donors, with no real support, and losing most of its staff - are taken ‘seriously’ and invited to the debate.

“If the DNC were to exclude us, the campaign is also developing contingency plans that would allow us to spread our vital message. We kept our receipts, we have retained legal counsel. Our goal in this campaign has always been to shift the conversation, and we will persist in doing so.

“We’re running to win. Not only to win the debate, not simply to win the presidency, but more importantly, to win a just - and peaceful - America for everyone.”

Mike Gravel Expected to Meet Donor Requirements by Friday, July 12, 2019

Mike Gravel Expected to Meet Donor Requirements Tomorrow

New York, New York - Following a strong week of fundraising, Mike Gravel will likely meet the donor requirements for the July Democratic presidential debate by the end of Friday, July 12th.

The campaign needs fewer than 7,000 additional unique donors to meet the Democratic Party's presidential debate requirements. With daily average new unique donors reaching ~3.5K over the past four days, and as of 11:00 AM Eastern today 500 new donors already, we fully expect to reach these requirements, and look forward to making a forceful case against the American empire on the debate stage in Detroit.

Mike Gravel Campaign Within Striking Distance of July Debate Stage

Gravel Campaign Within Striking Distance of July Debate Stage

New York, New York - Following three days of heightened fundraising well beyond the campaign's targets, the Mike Gravel campaign is poised to meet the DNC's donor requirement level for inclusion in the July Democratic primary debates.

Yesterday, Tuesday July 9th, the campaign received 4,400 donations from 3,500 donors with an average dollar donation amount of $5.26. That brought the campaign's total contributions to 66,125, and its total unique donor count to 55,000.

The tempo hasn't let up up either. As of 10:00 AM Eastern the campaign has already received more than a thousand more donations today, Wednesday July 10th.

Mike Gravel Campaign Airs First Nationwide Ad on Second Night of June DNC Debate

Mike Gravel Campaign Airs First Nationwide Ad on Second Night of June DNC Debate

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- Tonight, the Gravel campaign will be airing its first national ad buy on MSNBC and NBC’s digital platforms and streaming partners. The thirty-five seconds ad highlights Sen. Gravel’s “greatest hits” from his 2008 debate appearances, and calls on viewers to help put the senator back on the debate stage.

In the spot, Gravel calls out the American war machine and the racist “War on Drugs”, and speaks with horrifying prescience on the impending climate catastrophe and the humanitarian crisis at the Southern border. Although the ad recalls his remarks in debates eleven years ago, his answers are more relevant than ever, and much more incisive than what most of his competitors dare to say on similar subject matters.

“I’m ashamed as an American to be building a fence on our southern border,” Gravel says in the ad, with an answer putting him ahead morally of other 2008 and 2020 candidates, “that’s not the American that I fought for.”

While the debate airs and streams nationwide, the Gravel campaign will be live tweeting responses from the candidate and campaign-runners, as well as releasing videos and graphics to supplement the campaign’s position on vital issues.

Mike Gravel: “I’m Running to Win”

Mike Gravel: “I’m Running to Win”
Announcement Follows Unexpectedly Strong Polling Results as Support for Campaign Surges

New York, NY: Senator Mike Gravel announced today that he would be running to win the nomination, and not just qualify for the debates. The decision follows a series of successful results in polls and a survey of supporters that found overwhelming support for running to win.

Previously, Sen. Gravel had been running just to qualify for the debates to spread his pro-peace, pro-political reform message. But the campaign met such a strong reaction—repeatedly beating Kirsten Gillibrand, Eric Swalwell, Tim Ryan, and Seth Moulton in polls, and even coming in sixth place among millennials in Iowa in one poll—that the candidate has decided to declare that he’s “in it to win it.”

The decision comes in part because some pundits have dismissed the campaign, despite significant online interest and polling results, as unserious because of the lack of desire to win.

“I have heard chatter that our efforts do not amount to a ‘serious campaign’ because we intend to drop out after the debates. I am confused. In many ways, I find our campaign to be, perhaps, the only serious campaign that’s running,” Sen. Gravel wrote in an email to supporters. “We aspire for a higher goal than the office of the President of the United States of America. While other candidates run on personality and egotism, our campaign is defining the change and progress we need to live dignified lives.”

“So here it is: I am running to win. Just as much as Seth Moulton, John Delaney, John Hickenlooper, Tim Ryan, or Eric Swalwell are,” he continued.

The decision was not an easy one for the senator and his campaign team. Supporters were polled online, with 11,000 of them voting. The results were clear: 83 percent of supporters wanted Sen. Gravel to run to win.

This decision does not change the fact that the campaign’s future will be determined in large part by Sen. Gravel’s support after the debates. The campaign remains committed to not being a “spoiler” in primary contests for other progressive candidates, and will determine paths to avoid that in the future.

Mike Gravel Launches Losing 2020 Presidential Campaign

Mike Gravel Launches Losing 2020 Presidential Campaign
88-Year-Old Senator to Highlight Progressive Issues on Debate Stage

San Francisco, CA:​ Former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel announces that he is  officially launching his campaign on Monday. The outspoken and progressive  octogenarian has paired with two New York students to launch a grassroots  campaign that will allow the Senator to put America’s imperialist foreign policy on  trial at the Democratic debates. 

"I'm excited to run for president in order to qualify for the Democratic debates. My  message, centered around an anti-imperialist foreign policy and fundamental  political reform, is one that no other Democratic candidate is making the  centerpiece of their campaign. After the first two debates, I will drop out and  endorse the most progressive candidate,” Sen. Gravel said.

Gravel is going to make it to the debates, but in order to qualify, he needs 65,000  individual donations from people in 20 states across the country. Instead of  seeking to hold office, the campaign will force the Democratic establishment to  participate in a difficult and necessary conversation about the nation’s ceaseless  warmongering, whether it’s the war on terror, the war on drugs, or the war on  immigrants.

The official campaign launch ad can be viewed at:

The campaign has generated excitement around a no-nonsense, relentless social  media storm, challenging other candidates on their progressive bona fides and  raising questions about their dedication to take on healthcare companies, AIPAC,  the military-industrial complex, and the powerful American oligarchy. 

More than 5,000 individual donors have already contributed to Mike Gravel’s  campaign to make it to the debates. Popular donation amounts are $1 and $4.20,  with an average donation hovering around $3. All campaign funds that are not  spent getting Gravel on stage will be donated to organizations that will help Flint,  Michigan get clean water, and to other charities.