Bloomberg in harsh glare of spotlight as he racks up endorsements, surges in polls

'Stop and frisk' does not define who Mike Bloomberg is as a mayor or an individual, says Bloomberg campaign senior adviser Tim O'Brien.Mike Bloomberg’s getting hit from the left -- and the right.On Thursday morning, the former New York City mayor took incoming fire on Twitter from President Trump -- who called Bloomberg a “mass of dead energy” and a “LOSER” -- and from Democratic presidential nomination rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who accused the multi-billionaire business and media mogul of lying.TRUMP, BLOOMBERG, HURL INSULTS AT EACH OTHER ON TWITTERFor Bloomberg, who’s poured hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money into his campaign after jumping into the White House race just two and a half months ago, a rise in the polls and a spate of new endorsements is spurring increased scrutiny and a surge in attacks from his rivals.“There’s no more certain indicator that you’re on the rise than when your candidacy and campaign come under attack,” veteran Democratic strategist and communications consultant Lynda Tran noted.“It’s clear that everyone from Donald Trump on down the GOP ticket is concerned about how Mayor Bloomberg’s unprecedented resources and long track record of advocating for progressive causes from ending gun violence to tackling climate change will impact the race this year,” she explained.Trump, taking aim at Bloomberg, tweeted: “Mini Mike is a 5’4” mass of dead energy who does not want to be on the debate stage with these professional politicians.”“No boxes please. That spells trouble for other moderates in the race: Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.“As the field continues to shake out -- we have a long way to go still -- Bloomberg has the opportunity to make the case broadly to the voters in states representing 60 percent of the delegates for Super Tuesday that he is our best chance at beating Donald Trump,” emphasized Tran, veteran of the Democratic National Committee and the Obama-era group Organizing for America.“Bottom line, I’m sure the candidates who would describe themselves as relatively more moderate are looking over their shoulders at Mayor Bloomberg’s growing operation and rising poll numbers with great interest," Tran added.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.