Three members of Congress endorse Bloomberg after raucous debate

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg picked up three more congressional endorsements, despite struggling in his primary debate debut Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

Democratic Reps. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Nita Lowey (N.Y.) and Pete Aguilar (Calif.) all pledged their support to the billionaire, giving Bloomberg a total of 15 congressional endorsements, second to only former Vice President Joe Biden, who has more than three times that amount.

Each lawmaker has a strong connection — either political or personal — to the former New York mayor, The Associated Press reports.

For example, Howard Wolfson, Lowey’s former chief of staff, was a longtime Bloomberg aide and is now a top adviser to his campaign.

Bloomberg also campaigned for Gottheimer in 2018, and the New York congressman’s brother-in-law, Bradley Tusk, managed Bloomberg’s mayoral reelection campaign in 2009.

Aguilar, chief deputy whip of the House Democratic Caucus, got support from Independence USA PAC — a Bloomberg political group — during a tough 2014 congressional race.

Aguilar, also a former mayor, cited Bloomberg’s knowledge of tough issues “at both the national and local levels” and his “track record as a former mayor on gun safety and climate,” according to the AP.

Rival Democrats repeatedly targeted Bloomberg in the debate Wednesday night in Las Vegas, launching attacks in the first minutes of the event.

Updated at 8:46 a.m.