Ex-NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announces run for Congress
Blaz is back on the ballot!
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he’s running for Congress after months of speculation over where he’d next set his political sights.
The ex-mayor made his campaign for New York’s 10th congressional district official in a surprise appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show, citing “polls” as the justification for throwing his hat in the ring.
“The polls show the people are hurting, they need help, they need help fast and they need leaders who can actually get them help now, and I know how to do it,” de Blasio said. “I do know how to do it from years of serving the people of this city, so today I am declaring my candidacy for Congress.”
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (Gardiner Anderson/)
The campaign launch comes two days after de Blasio formed an “exploratory committee” to run for the 10th district. It also comes after de Blasio for months weighed — but ultimately ditched — plans to run for governor and a different congressional district.
The 10th district is currently represented by veteran Rep. Jerry Nadler.
However, the state’s newly drawn congressional map — crafted by a special master after a version favored by Democratic state lawmakers was struck down in court — shifts the heart of Nadler’s constituency into what would be Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s 12th district. As a result, Nadler plans to run in the 12th district, leaving his seat vacant just months before the congressional primaries slated for Aug. 24.
De Blasio is far from the only local politician to express interest in running in the 10th district in light of the congressional map shakeup.
Then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio winks at someone during the Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan, New York on Monday, Oct. 12, 2015. (Seth Wenig/)
Among other potential contenders are State Sen. Brad Hoylman, City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, former City Councilman David Yassky as well as a number of State Assembly members, including Robert Carroll, Jo Anne Simon and Yuh-Line Niou.
Hoylman and Simon told the Daily News that de Blasio’s entry into the race won’t change their calculus. Holyman said he plans to run and Simon said she would make a decision soon.
“He thinks he can bring something to the conversation, and he will run on his resume and what he can do to effectuate change, and I’m going to run on mine,” Simon said of de Blasio. “I think we agree on a lot of progressive issues. I think I go about doing things a little bit differently, and I think I work much more collaboratively with the community.”
New York State Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon (D- Brooklyn) asks questions during a public hearing in Albany, N.Y. on Feb. 13, 2019. (Hans Pennink/)
De Blasio, who has the most name recognition in the race but ostensibly also the most political baggage, scored an early endorsement for his budding campaign on Thursday from Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, the chairwoman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
“Bill de Blasio is the most qualified progressive candidate who I believe can win this diverse seat,” Bichotte-Hermelyn said in a statement.
Under the new congressional map, the 10th district will cover a chunk of western Brooklyn, including Park Slope, as well as a large swath of downtown Manhattan.
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's home on 11th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York. (Todd Maisel, New York Daily News/)
Though de Blasio lives in Park Slope, Democratic strategist Chris Coffey questioned whether there’s any significant support for the ex-mayor in the new 10th district.
“I’m having a little trouble figuring out who de Blasio’s voter is,” said Coffey, who used to work for ex-Mayor Michael Bloomberg and has been critical of de Blasio in the past. “I can look at other candidates and kind of put together their voters. For de Blasio, he’ll have certainly the highest name ID in the district — which matters, but it’s going to be a very low turnout in August.”
Shortly after his morning cable news appearance, de Blasio rolled out a campaign website soliciting donations from supporters.
“Wherever I go, people ask: can things get better? I say from my heart: YES, but WE have to make them better. In our neighborhoods and our nation, the way to save our democracy is to be part of it,” de Blasio wrote in a tweet linking to the website. “Join us.”
Then-Democratic presidential candidate, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio addresses a crowd at The Galivants Ferry Stump in South Carolina on September 16, 2019. (Sean Rayford/)
De Blasio left City Hall on Jan. 1 with a complicated legacy developed over his eight years in charge.
As mayor, de Blasio frequently drew criticism from both the left and the right on a slew of issues, including public safety. His mayoral tenure was also marked by a number of high-profile scandals, including a federal investigation into his fundraising practices that produced indictments against several people, though de Blasio was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.
Having supported Mayor Adams’ campaign to succeed him last year, de Blasio is likely hoping to court support for his congressional bid from him.
But when asked Friday morning if he has plans to back de Blasio’s campaign, Adams was non-committal.
“It’s important to see the entire field of who’s running. He has not told me he’s running,” Adams said of his predecessor. “The voters are going to decide.”
