Although his own political future is unclear, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is coming to Minnesota to help the fortunes of the state's Independence Party.
IP chairman Craig Swaggert says Bloomberg will be the featured guest for a July 25 fundraising breakfast and is scheduled to give a policy speech the same day. Both events are planned for Minneapolis.
Swaggert says he expects the events to draw combined crowds of 600 to 700 people. The party expects to charge $100 per person for the fundraiser and lesser amounts for the speech.
Bloomberg, a billionaire two-term mayor of the nation's largest city, is a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent. Earlier this year, he decided against an independent bid for president.
The Independence Party holds major-party status in Minnesota, giving it automatic ballot access. Jesse Ventura carried the party's banner as governor from 1999 to 2003.
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