Bloomberg advocate tours El Paso food bank during campaign visit

EL PASO, Texas -- With just days left before Texas votes in the primary election, Michael Bloomberg's longtime partner Diana Taylor made a campaign stop in El Paso.

Taylor visited the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger food bank earlier this week before speaking to a group of local businesswomen in an invite-only lunch at the El Paso Club downtown.

Taylor, who once served as the superintendent of banks in New York state, told ABC-7 she was impressed by the sheer size of the food bank.

But she said that was also an indication of a troubling trend.

"The growth in the numbers of people they are serving has been astronomical," Taylor said in an interview with ABC-7 at the El Paso Club on Monday. "And you think, in this country, how can that be. How can there be so many people in this community who have food insecurity.

"It's a really good indicator of how we're doing as a government," she added.

Taylor said she's been crisscrossing the state to hear the top concerns of residents.

“They're working and they want to be able to provide for their families,” she said.

Bloomberg, who was the mayor of New York City from 2002-2013, has been focusing on Texas and the 14 other states holding a primary election on March 3, dubbed Super Tuesday.

Census data show Texas has growing black and Latino populations.

ABC-7 asked how Bloomberg is addressing recent reports highlighting policies he backed as New York City mayor critics say were a detriment to communities of color.

“Look at his actions,” Taylor said. "Through education he closed the achievement gap while he was mayor. And the graduation rate went up by 42 percent. And how we're going to solve this problem is through education and access to opportunity."

Early voting ends Friday, Feb. 28.