Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and one-time Democratic presidential candidate announced Tuesday that he is dropping out of the state’s 10th congressional district race, just two months after announcing his bid.
De Blasio’s congressional aspirations lasted half as long as his 2020 presidential campaign, which he ended in September 2019 after admitting he had no chance at winning.
“It’s clear the people of #NY10 are looking for another option and I respect that,” the former mayor captioned his video. “Time for me to leave electoral politics and focus on other ways to serve. I am really grateful for all the people I met, the stories I heard and the many good souls who helped out. Thank you all!”
It’s clear the people of #NY10 are looking for another option and I respect that. Time for me to leave electoral politics and focus on other ways to serve. I am really grateful for all the people I met, the stories I heard and the many good souls who helped out. Thank you all! pic.twitter.com/gpt6V6WLUf
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) July 19, 2022
De Blasio added that he will be looking for “a different way to serve,” but did not expand on what that will be. “Even though this is not going to work out, I want you to know how much I appreciate you, and we’re going to do a lot together,” he told his supporters.
Earlier this year, de Blasio said he would not run for office in either New York’s 11th congressional district or the gubernatorial primary. He then changed his mind when the state’s newly redrawn 10th district attracted attention from a multitude of Democrats, The Daily Wire previously reported.
When de Blasio first floated the idea of getting back into politics, many New Yorkers were unenthused that their former mayor had more political ambitions.
The Atlantic’s Molly Jong Fast simply replied, “No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.”
Lindsey Boylan sarcastically added, “grant all the forthcoming generations of women the self-belief of middle aged white men.”
De Blasio leaves a crowded primary that includes incumbent Rep. Mondaire Jones, who has positioned himself with the most radical leftists in Congress.
New York’s congressional and Senate primaries were delayed after the Court of Appeals struck down the original proposal for redistricting and appointed a special master to redraw the flawed Democratic maps. Voters will head to the polls August 23 to select their nominees.