Jul 19, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio drops out of congressional race

Erin Doherty

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during Uptown Saturday Nite at the Apollo Theater on August 28, 2021. Photo: Shahar Azran/Getty Images

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that he is dropping out of the congressional race in New York's 10th Congressional District.

Driving the news: "It's clear to me that when it comes to this congressional district, people are looking for another option and I respect that," de Blasio said in a video posted to his Twitter account.

"I just want to say that I love the people in this city, I really want to keep serving and I'm going to find a different way to serve, but I'm filled with gratitude at the same time," he said

The big picture: De Blasio, who was mayor of New York from 2014 to 2021 and briefly ran for president in 2020, announced his bid for Congress in May.

De Blasio had been trailing most of the Democratic field in the 10th Congressional District, which includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, per several recent polls, New York Magazine reports.

Go deeper... Former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio is running for Congress

Add Axios on Google

Former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio drops out of congressional race

What to read next