Scott Powers
Former Tallahassee City Commissioner Gil Ziffer is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, the former New York City Mayor’s presidential campaign announced Tuesday.
Ziffer, president of Ziffer Stansberry Communications in Tallahassee, served on the Tallahassee City Commission from 2009 through 2018. During that time he also served as president of the Florida League of Cities, and as a member of the National League of Cities board of directors. He also has served as president of the Florida State Parks Foundation.
Ziffer cited for his support Bloomberg’s ability to win head-to-head against President Donald Trump, and bring back decency to the White House.
“At the end of the day, the Democratic Party needs to nominate someone who can actually win in a general election against Donald Trump,” Ziffer said in a news release issued by Bloomberg’s campaign. “We need someone who has the experience, vision, and virtue to bring our nation back together after Trump’s active pursuit of domestic division.”
Ziffer joins a growing list of Florida Democrats to endorse Bloomberg ahead of the March 17 primary, including former and current mayors, fellow city and county commissioners, Florida House and Senate members, and current members of the United States Congress.
Among other city and county officials who’ve endorsed Bloomberg are Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook, West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James, Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, Osceola County Commissioner Viviana Janer, Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, Tampa City Council Member Joe Citro, Jacksonville City Council Member Reggie Gaffney, former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and former Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields.
The March 17 Democratic presidential primary is down to eight active candidates, though a dozen are on the ballot. And the number of active candidates is expected to shrink again after the South Carolina primary Saturday and the March 3 Super Tuesday primaries in 14 states including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, and Virginia. Nonetheless, mail voting is well underway in Florida. Besides Bloomberg, the active candidates are former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and businessman Tom Steyer.
