(Reuters) – Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ended his campaign for Congress on Tuesday, saying he was bowing out of politics after it became clear to him that voters in his district were looking for another option.
De Blasio launched his campaign in May to represent the newly drawn 10th Congressional District of New York, made up of parts of Manhattan and his home base of Brooklyn.
But since entering the race, de Blasio, 61, has lagged in the polls. A recent poll by Data for Progress, a progressive think tank based in California, showed he was running in seventh place in a crowded field of 13 contenders. City Council Member Carlina Rivera currently leads in polling of likely voters.
In a video posted on his Twitter account on Tuesday, de Blasio said, “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, a Democrat who served two four-year terms as mayor before leaving office in December, shepherded the most populous U.S. city through the COVID-19 pandemic. He also made an unsuccessful run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
He said he “loves the people” of New York City and was “filled with gratitude,” but it was time for him to leave electoral politics and focus on other ways to serve.
“I made mistakes. I want to do better in the future and learn from those mistakes,” de Blasio said. “It’s been a humbling experience at times.”
De Blasio’s popularity declined in his last year in office. A NY1/Ipsos poll in June 2021 showed just 37% of city residents approved of the job he was doing.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago)
