Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is announcing his campaign for Congress.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Friday, de Blasio said, “The polls show people are hurting. They need help. They need help fast. And they need leaders who can actually get them help now and know how to do it.”
“I do know how to do it from years of serving the people of this city. And so today, I’m declaring my candidacy for Congress in the 10th Congressional district of New York,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Breaking: @BilldeBlasio announces his run for Congress pic.twitter.com/3LXkcImS0w
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) May 20, 2022
De Blasio left office earlier this year after serving two terms as the mayor of New York City.
Earlier this week, it was reported that he was considering running for Congress in the newly re-drawn 10th Congressional district that is opening up as Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is deciding to run in the 12th Congressional district.
Conservatives quickly panned the move:
No one wants this. No one asked for this. No one is excited about this. No one benefits from this.
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) May 20, 2022
Why won’t Bill de Blasio just go away? https://t.co/0kPnE1YfGU
Some people just can’t give up power and also some people still need media training. Those facials expressions…cringe. https://t.co/esNKfZxfwZ
— Beverly Hallberg (@BeverlyHallberg) May 20, 2022
In January, de Blasio addressed speculation that he would run for governor.
In a video posted on Twitter on Tuesday, de Blasio touted his tenure as mayor, “We said we were going to take on inequality…Naysayers said it couldn’t be done. But we proved, together, we can make a big change.”
“Now, I made my fair share of mistakes. I was not good with groundhogs at all,” he continued as he referenced a 2014 incident when he dropped a groundhog on Groundhog Day.
After listing a series of accomplishments from his time as mayor, de Blasio said, “We proved once and for all you can fight inequality. You can turn it around.”
“So this is the right place for me to share some news with you. No, I am not going to be running for governor of New York State,” he said, adding, “But I am going to devote every fiber of my being to fight inequality in the state of New York. We got a lot to do. Together.”
According to The New York Times, de Blasio “had signaled for months that he was planning a campaign, saying repeatedly that he did not feel ready to leave public service.”