District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser applauds during a ceremony swearing in the newly-elected officials of the District of Columbia at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019.

Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP Photo

Many people saw it coming late last year when D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser hailed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, saying at the time that an “important voice is entering the race for President.”

And now she’s made it official: Bowser is endorsing Bloomberg in the crowded field of Democrats seeking to unseat President Trump. In a tweet Thursday morning, Bowser called Bloomberg, a former Republican and founder of the financial services and news companies that bear his name, a “problem-solver with a proven track record of getting things done.”

“Mike Bloomberg is the only candidate who will unify the country and defeat Donald Trump and has a blueprint to rebuild America and improve the quality of life for all Americans,” she said.

Speaking alongside Bloomberg at a formal announcement at the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street later in the afternoon, Bowser said she chose to endorse him because of his platform on housing and homelessness, which he fully unveiled earlier in the day.

“He’s committed to working with mayors to get things done. He’s also committed to focusing on the number one issue for Washington D.C. The number one issue is housing affordability. No matter where you go in our city, people are concerned about how much it costs to live here,” she said.

Bowser and Bloomberg have cultivated a close relationship over the years. They met on the sidelines of the Bloomberg Health Summit in late 2018, the same year D.C. was chosen one of the winners in the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge. Through his foundation and aggressive advocacy on national issues like gun control, Bloomberg has attracted support from a number of mayors across the country, who see him as one of their own.

But the relationship goes back even further. When Bowser’s political mentor Adrian Fenty took office as D.C.’s mayor in 2009, he looked to Bloomberg for guidance on everything from how to reform public schools (push for mayoral control and a weaker school board) to how to decorate the mayoral office (knock down walls and create an open “bullpen”).

Bloomberg stumped for Fenty’s unsuccessful reelection, and has now taken to praising Bowser. “She is doing a terrific job, and I hope that someday soon we’ll be calling her ‘Governor Bowser,’” he said during the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors earlier this month, alluding to the city’s fight to become the 51st state. (This week, he said he would welcome Puerto Rico as the 51st state.)

In a statement, Bloomberg extended his praise of Bowser and her leadership.

“There are two elected executives in Washington — the president and the mayor. One has broken promise after promise on the issues that matter. The other has emerged as a national leader on affordable housing, economic opportunity, sustainability, safe streets, good schools, and equal rights — and that’s Mayor Bowser,” he said. “Washington, D.C. could not be in better hands, but she and local leaders around the country deserve a true partner in the White House — and that’s what I’ll be.”

Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Bloomberg said he would put Bowser among the top five or 10 mayors across the country.

While the endorsement isn’t expected to change the course of the presidential race — D.C.’s primary isn’t until June 2, and only has a small number of delegates and electoral votes to give — it could prompt more criticism of Bowser.

Critics say Bloomberg’s tenure as mayor was less successful than he claims, specifically with his police department’s widespread use of stop-and-frisk by officers — a tactic he recently apologized for, but one that has similarly been employed by D.C. police. (Last year, data showed an overwhelming majority of D.C. residents stopped by police are black.) The renaissance Bloomberg takes credit for in New York parallels the one Bowser touts for D.C., but critics of both mayors say that it ignores the high housing prices, displacement and homelessness that have increased in both cities.

On Thursday, Bloomberg again apologized for the stop-and-frisk that occurred during his three terms as mayor, but said he originally felt the tactic was necessary to bring down the murder rate. That point was echoed by Bowser.

“I understand the regret he has expressed. I also understand being a mayor of a big city and wanting to make sure that your city is safe. I appreciate that he has acknowledged that he should have looked at the numbers more closely and perhaps made some changes sooner,” she said.

Opponents of Bloomberg also say he has no real path to the Democratic nomination for president, other than the $1 billion of his own personal wealth he has used to flood the airwaves nationally with campaign ads. But supporters of the former mayor say he’s a real contender, pointing to recent tweets from Trump where the president derided him as “Mini Mike Bloomberg.” And Bloomberg also has taken to attacking Trump directly on health care, an issue that has played to Democrats’ advantage in past elections.

Bowser said Bloomberg’s promise to increase federal assistance for housing and homeless programs across the country was significant, and would help in her own goal to built 36,000 new housing units by 2025.

“What Mike announced today will really change the game for cities across America. He is going to guarantee federal rental assistance for families at 30 percent of the Area Median Income. If the federal government will be our partner in that, cities can focus on how we can get the types of units built we need to get built and more people will be able to afford to live in our cities,” she said.

In another tweet on Thursday morning, Bowser praised Bloomberg’s work on gun control. “Mike has taken the fight to pass common sense gun reform to statehouses. As President, he will pass those reforms in Congress,” she wrote.

This story originally appeared on WAMU. It has been updated to incorporate statements from both Bowser and Bloomberg from an endorsement event in the afternoon.

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