Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he is running to represent New Yorkers in Washington, setting his sights on the state’s newly redrawn 10th Congressional District.
“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,” de Blasio said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I do know how to do it.”
“For years I’ve served the people of this city,” he added. “And so today I’m declaring my candidacy for Congress.”
De Blasio served two terms as a widely disliked mayor, starting in 2014, and unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2020 race.
The 10th District is currently held by Rep. Jarrold Nadler (D), who will be vacating the seat to run in the 12th District. Nadler announced the move Monday, after a new congressional map drawn by the courts was revealed. Three weeks ago, the New York State Court of Appeals threw out a gerrymandered map that had been drawn by Democrats.
The state Democrats’ gamble ― proposing a map that could give them three additional House seats ― ended up backfiring spectacularly. The new map combines the Upper East Side and Upper West Side of Manhattan into one district, meaning Nadler and Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney will be pitted against each other.
The new 10th District covers lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, including the Park Slope neighborhood where de Blasio has lived for years.