Friday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), justifiably proclaiming himself “somewhat of an expert” in being “unpopular,” has declared his candidacy for New York’s tenth congressional district.
“Joe, the polls shows 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 that,” de Blasio said. “I do know how to do it from years of serving people of this city, and so today, I am declaring my candidacy for congress in the tenth congressional district of New York.”
De Blasio is running to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in the recently-redrawn district. Nadler has been in Congress for almost 30 years.
“And when it comes to being unpopular, I’m unfortunately somewhat of an expert. I made my fair share of mistakes,” de Blasio wrote in a recent Atlantic op-ed. “In 2017, I won my second term with two-thirds of the general-election vote. But by last year my popularity had tanked. Why? I failed to give New Yorkers a clear sense of where I was taking them. I lost my connection with the people because I mistook real policy for real popularity.”
He also mistook bad policy for real popularity. During his tenure, de Blasio vowed to cut funding for the police amid the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, despite soaring violent crime rates. He also took criticism for his forced vaccine mandates during the coronavirus pandemic.