That Michael Bloomberg, suddenly a contender for the Democratic party's nomination for president, has been courting black voters is not a secret. How he does it -- through staggering amounts of advertising aimed at African Americans, among other things -- isn't a secret, either.
Mike Bloomberg (File photo)
But a WXYZ report suggests another gambit may at work, summed up in its online head: Before scoring Warren Evans' endorsement, Bloomberg campaign hired his wife
Ross Jones reports:
The wife of Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, who last week endorsed Mike Bloomberg for president, has been working as a full-time employee on Bloomberg’s campaign for the last month, 7 Action News has learned.
Renata Evans is working as a field organizer for the campaign. Warren Evans introduced Bloomberg at a campaign event earlier this month.
And after embracing the former New York City mayor on stage, Evans followed it up with a formal endorsement last week. On Saturday, Evans opened Bloomberg’s campaign office in Westland, where Renata Evans was at his side.
“I don’t think it’s inappropriate to ask the questions at all," said Dave Dulio, a professor of political science at Oakland University. "We have to keep an eye out of things that might call into question the veracity of decisions that are made."
While there is nothing illegal in this action, it does call into question whether Evans' endorsement was genuine or a reflection of his family's economic relationship to the candidate. While Renata Evans did not say how much she would be paid in her job, others in similar positions are earning around $72,000 a year.
