Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg weighed in on Democrat Jon Ossoff's loss in the special election for Georgia's 6th district during an appearance on The View on Wednesday.
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Michael Bloomberg says that Jon Ossoff's loss shows that 'all the money in the world' can't buy an election
The race between Ossoff and Handel was the most expensive House race in US history — and Bloomberg says it's a lesson that money can't win an election.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"You've got to be careful about reading too much into this election," Bloomberg said. "Although I will say one thing: Maybe it shows that all the money in the world can't buy an election."
"The public is a lot smarter than people give them credit for," Bloomberg added.
The race for Georgia's 6th district was the most expensive House race in US history. Ossoff and his opponent, Republican Karen Handel — who won the seat on Tuesday evening with 52% of the vote — spent a combined $50 million raised from national Democratic and Republican organizations.
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Ossoff railed against the "role of money in politics" in an interview with NPR on Tuesday, calling it a "problem."
Observers in the media and political circles viewed the race as a referendum on Trump's legislative agenda, though Bloomberg cautioned against reading too much into local elections.,
He said that most House elections are about "local issues," — things like whether or not you can ride your bicycle on the sidewalk — and may not reflect the national conversation
Bloomberg further said that Trump's long-shot candidacy shows that "You can get elected President of the United States without spending a lot of money."
"Other than with a little help from the Russians, he was elected," Bloomberg added. He continued, saying that "free advertising" was partially responsible for Trump's victory.
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