New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he is dropping out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
As of Friday, de Blasio was polling at only 0.2 percent support, according to RealClearPolitics.
On Wednesday, a Washington Post analysis of de Blasio’s campaign carried the headline, “Bill de Blasio’s presidential campaign has burned down, fallen over and sunk into a swamp.”
The mayor phrased his departure somewhat differently when he announced it live Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program.
“I feel like I have contributed all I can to this primary election,” he said. “It’s clearly not my time, so I’m going to end my presidential campaign, continue my work as mayor of New York City, and I’m going to keep speaking up for working people.”
JUST IN: NYC Mayor de Blasio drops out of presidential race, he announces on @Morning_Joe: “It’s clearly not my time.” pic.twitter.com/6bAEXb2bTA
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 20, 2019
The announcement that de Blasio was ending a candidacy that has been sputtering from the start drew a mocking tweet from President Donald Trump.
“Oh no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years! Part time Mayor of New York City, @BilldeBlasio, who was polling at a solid ZERO but had tremendous room for growth, has shocking dropped out of the Presidential race. NYC is devastated, he’s coming home!” Trump tweeted.
Oh no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years! Part time Mayor of New York City, @BilldeBlasio, who was polling at a solid ZERO but had tremendous room for growth, has shocking dropped out of the Presidential race. NYC is devastated, he’s coming home!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2019
Some said the failed campaign was nothing but a negative for de Blasio, who cannot seek another term as mayor due to term limits.
“Most people thought that at worst, a presidential campaign would keep him stuck in neutral at home,” Eric Soufer, who worked on presidential campaigns for John Edwards and Barack Obama said, according to the New York Post.
“But it actually sent him backward, by raising new concerns about his fundraising practices, energizing his critics on the left and right, and making it crystal clear that for whatever reason, New Yorkers do not think he’s in the same league as just about anyone else on that debate stage,” he said.
“Hopefully it’s a come-to-Jesus for him and he finds a way to resurrect what was once a promising, if controversial, mayoralty,” Soufer said.
In an Op-Ed for NBC, de Blasio said now that he is no longer a presidential candidate, he will focus on progressive policy initiatives in New York City.
“I’m going to redouble my efforts to improve the quality of life of everyday New Yorkers, proving that policies like guaranteed paid personal time off can work on a grand scale. I’m going to continue implementing universal health care and a Green New Deal in the nation’s largest city. And I promise I’ll fight for New Yorkers and workers everywhere to ensure there’s an actual plan to protect their livelihoods from being automated out of existence,” he wrote.
The mayor also took a shot at Trump, as well as the Democratic field.
“Democrats must return to our roots as a party focused on bold solutions that speak to the concerns of working people,” he wrote.
“If we do not, we will lose in 2020. Yes, Donald Trump lies to working people, but he at least pretends to talk to them. That may be enough for him to win, if we do not constantly make it clear that the Democrats are the party of everyday Americans in rural counties and urban centers, the coasts and the heartland,” he wrote.
Via WesternJournal
