De Blasio quits presidential race
NEW YORK >> Mayor Bill de Blasio, who entered the Democratic presidential race on the premise that his brand of liberal urban leadership in New York City could appeal on a national scale, said Friday that he was ending his candidacy.
De Blasio had hoped to seize the progressive energy rippling through the Democratic Party, using his accomplishments in New York — including the introduction of universal prekindergarten and paid sick leave and raising the minimum wage — to make his case.
But he remained in the bottom tier among nearly two dozen candidates, unable to match the popularity of Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the prime architects of his party’s leftward shift.
De Blasio said Friday that he was satisfied that his message seemed to resonate with people he met on the campaign trail. But his continued candidacy, in the face of dismal poll and fundraising numbers, drew criticism from many circles, especially in New York.
“I feel like I’ve contributed all I can to this primary campaign, and it’s clearly not my time,” he said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “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.”
De Blasio had focused his run on trying to improve the lives of those people, proposing a “workers’ Bill of Rights” to guarantee Americans paid time off and medical leave, and vowing to “tax the hell” out of wealthy people to pay for his plan.
He tried to position himself as the most suitable Democrat to take on President Donald Trump, given his familiarity with Trump as a New York real estate magnate.
De Blasio’s campaign, seen as a quixotic, 100-to-1 shot from its inception, never gained traction.
Trump greeted the news with sarcasm, characterizing de Blasio’s withdrawal as “really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years!”
“NYC is devastated,” the president wrote on Twitter. “He’s coming home!”