The Black NYC Pastor Who Supports Bloomberg

Along with the other 19% of Dems on Team Mike [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( Michael Bloomberg Has A Lot Of Supporters. This Harlem Pastor Is One Of Them. By [James Ramsay]( [Reverend Calvin Butts (left) marching alongside activist Cornel West during a protest against police brutality in 2015.] Reverend Calvin Butts (left) marching alongside activist Cornel West during a protest against police brutality in 2015. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/EPA/Shutterstock) Michael Bloomberg is (sort of) in second place now. While the former New York City mayor hasn't earned any delegates — his name hasn't been on a ballot yet — [a national NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll]( out this morning has him at 19% in the Democratic primary contest, trailing only Bernie Sanders, who came in at 31%. Among those Bloomberg supporters are prominent black lawmakers and faith leaders, including the Reverend Calvin Butts, the pastor at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. Butts was among 18 black clergy members who met with Bloomberg last week, following the resurfacing of a 2015 tape in which the former mayor defended stop-and-frisk in minority neighborhoods. At the end of the meeting, they issued a joint statement claiming that "none of us believe that Mike Bloomberg is a racist." At the same time, supporters have suggested that Bloomberg's primary appeal isn't whatever's in his heart. People back him because they think he can beat Trump, and they appreciate how he spends his money. Referencing a $1 million donation to Butts' own economic development operation back in 2008, the pastor recently [told Politico]( "He used his money, which is one of the reasons I continue to support him, to express his sincerity." New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, after announcing his own endorsement of Bloomberg, said Sunday that he’d [overcome concerns about Bloomberg’s policing legacy]( because the billionaire "put his money where his mouth is." Locally, this theme goes back at least a decade. In 2009, [a New York Times analysis]( found that Bloomberg had forged a web of ties with black clergy through "an unusual combination of city money, private philanthropy, political appointments and personal attention." While seeking a third term, Bloomberg's aforementioned check to Butts earned him an endorsement from the pastor, who had previously pledged his support to the city's comptroller, Bill Thompson. In more recent years, Bloomberg has won friends by throwing [billions of dollars]( at causes ranging from gun control to the fight against global warming. His donations have also partly earned him the support of many prominent black mayors, including [Mayor Aja Brown]( and [Mayor Steve Benjamin]( of Columbia, South Carolina. Several congregants at Abyssinian told Gothamist on Sunday that their pastor's endorsement wasn't swaying them. "[Rev. Butts] shouldn’t be endorsing anyone on the church’s behalf," said Jerome Jackson, a 63-year-old churchgoer and Harlem resident. "I do not think most of the people here agree with those statements." At Williams Institutional CME, a Methodist Episcopal church a few blocks south of Abyssinian, security guard Tobius Simmons also spoke negatively about Bloomberg. "I've been stopped and frisked," Simmons said. "My daughter has been stopped and frisked. My daughter's friends have been stopped and frisked. So he's had a negative impact on quality of life for most working-class people around here." But most voters outside New York City's largely-minority neighborhoods don't have that intimate an understanding of Bloomberg's legacy. They mostly know him from [his 185 ads](. Because of this recent poll, though, they'll finally get to see him speak at length, while (presumably) being attacked by his fellow Democratic candidates. That 19% qualifies him for tomorrow night's debate in Nevada. [— Reporting by Jake Offenhartz]( Mayor De Blasio Is Hitting The Campaign Trail In Support Of Bernie Sanders Now five months since ending his own presidential campaign — and a week after dedicating the rest of his second term to [Saving Our City]( — Mayor Bill de Blasio has endorsed Bernie Sanders for president, and plans to immediately spend a chunk of time in other states on the senator's behalf. De Blasio was in Nevada on Sunday, campaigning for Sanders ahead of this Saturday's caucuses. People familiar with his plans told Politico that he'll also be traveling throughout the country as the primary contest moves on. For Sanders, de Blasio is an appealing surrogate for several reasons: The mayor has strong support among black Democrats; his record includes tangible, progressive achievements like universal pre-K; as a mayor focused on inequality, he's been a foil to Michael Bloomberg; and he seems comfortable [trash-talking the previous mayor](. Though de Blasio eventually endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary, he has since made amends with Sanders. The senator was a prominent guest at de Blasio's 2017 inauguration, they vacationed together in Vermont, and in [an interview]( last year, de Blasio claimed that Sanders would've beaten Trump in 2016. ([Politico]( Meet The Four Brooklyn Candidates Running For City Council After Espinal's Resignation On April 28th — the same day as New York's presidential primary — voters in the 37th City Council district will choose a replacement for Rafael Espinal, the council member who's [quitting his final term early]( to lead the Freelancer's Union. Because this is a special election, all candidates are running together in one officially nonpartisan race, meaning everyone will be listed on the ballot under their own unique party line (as opposed to, say, Democratic Party or Working Families Party). That said, the Brooklyn Democratic Party has officially endorsed a candidate: Darma Diaz, a Cypress Hills resident who works for a nonprofit that helps families experiencing homelessness find stable housing and employment. Sandy Nurse, who lives in Bushwick, has earned endorsements from Rep. Nydia Velázquez and State Sen. Julia Salazar, among others. A carpenter by trade, Nurse also founded a local bike-powered composting service, and lists environmental protection as a key area of expertise. Cypress Hills resident Kimberly Council, who works as a reference librarian at a Wall Street law firm, is running on a platform that includes, among other priorities, changing the way "affordability" is calculated when it comes to housing. And Misba Abdin, a Bangladeshi-American who has lived in East New York for nearly 40 years, is running to bring more police officers to his community, which he has described as "worse than a war zone." The winner of this special election will serve in the seat until the end of 2020. Primary and general elections will be held later this year to select someone to represent the district through the end of 2021. ([Gothamist]( [Students at Townsend Harris High School in Queens participate in a "rally" as part of their simulated election project] Steven Valentino In This Election Simulation, The Teens Like Trump Every year, Townsend Harris High, an elite public school in Queens, holds a schoolwide election simulation wherein students play the roles of actual candidates. [In 2016]( when The New Yorker Radio Hour first witnessed the Townsend Harris simulation, things got ugly. The student portraying Donald Trump accused the Hillary Clinton character of PMSing during a debate, and teachers had to reprimand him, even though he wasn't straying so far from the real person. But when [the show returned for this year's simulation]( the student playing Trump was...a huge hit. He rode a hoverboard. He avoided controversial policy ideas. And his overall demeanor was less Access Hollywood, and more Alec {NAME} on Saturday Night Live. As one teacher told us, the student actor was undeniably charismatic. But she also said that after three years with this administration in the White House, many teenagers have come to see Trump as a normal president. What, if anything, does that mean for the non-simulated election? [A logo for the new show, "Brian Lehrer: a daily politics podcast"]( Dan Pfeiffer: Trump-ism As Paul Ryan-ism Unmasked Dan Pfeiffer, a former White House communications director under Obama and now a co-host of Pod Save America, questions how different "Trump-ism" is from previous GOP positions. As primary voting gets underway, we want to hear what you want out of WNYC's politics newsletter. Send your feedback and suggestions to james@wnyc.org. Thanks! Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2020 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. 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