Former Baltimore mayor endorses Mike Bloomberg, named political co-chair of his campaign

Former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake endorsed former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for president and she was named a national political co-chair of his campaign.

Rawlings-Blake joins former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in actively playing a part in Bloomberg’s campaign. Rawlings-Blake will be a national surrogate for the billionaire democratic candidate and will advise his campaign on policy development and strategy issues, according to The Baltimore Sun.

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“Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was an innovative leader for Baltimore and a strong advocate for Americans in cities across the country as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors – and we’ve worked together to address important issues in this election, like protecting communities from gun violence,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

Rawlings-Blake returned the love.

“I am proud to endorse Mike Bloomberg for president of the United States. Mike has been a good friend and mentor to me for many years,” Rawlings-Blake wrote in a prepared statement, according to WBAL TV. “He is a no-nonsense leader who has taken on the country’s toughest fights. When we were both in office, we worked together to get illegal guns off the streets of Baltimore, New York, and cities across America. He continues to lead the national movement for gun safety, building grass-roots support and working to elect candidates fighting for common sense gun safety laws. I’m excited to join Mike’s campaign and do everything I can to help elect the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump and unite our country.”

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It is unclear if Rawlings-Blake is being paid for her role in Bloomberg’s campaign. Rawlings-Blake referred specific questions about her role to the campaign and Bloomberg’s campaign declined to say, The Baltimore Sun reported.

This month, Bloomberg’s campaign opened its Baltimore headquarters. The campaign reportedly plans to open up other Maryland campaign offices in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties as well.