Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is back on the campaign trail - this time on behalf of his former counterpart and longtime friend, 2020 presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg.
The announcement dropped Friday just one day after the former New York mayor announced his health care plan that would expand coverage and cut people's costs by building on the current system.
It's that kind of thinking that attracted Nutter to the campaign, he told NBC10. A Bloomberg supporter from the start, Nutter praised his friend for being "tremendously successful on all the issues Democrats care about," he said.
"He is a high quality person," Nutter said. "He's my kind of leader."
Current Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and District Attorney Larry Krasner both endorsed Elizabeth Warren for president earlier this year. Pennsylvania native Joe Biden, on the other hand, received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.
Nutter dismissed splitting with his colleagues, saying that he and Bloomberg have been friends for a dozen years.
"We partnered on crime reduction, went through the [2008] recession together," he said. "He was my first choice."
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Nutter will serve as National Political Chair to Bloomberg's campaign. He will speak to constituents, attend public events, advise on policy strategy and recruit new voices to join the campaign.
It will not be the first time the two former mayors join forces.
Nutter served his first four years as Philadelphia mayor while Bloomberg finished out his tenure in New York. In 2016, Nutter joined Bloomberg's What Works Cities initiatives, which helped cities use data and evidence to become more efficient. Through the program, Nutter launched Philadelphia's PhillyStat performance management system. In 2009, the two famously bet on which city's team would win the World Series.
Bloomberg will visit Philadelphia Saturday to open his campaign's first field office in Pennsylvania. Nutter said he will not join this weekend but expects to make more public appearances after the holidays.
