Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that he is dropping out of the race for New York’s 10th Congressional District.
“Time for me to leave electoral politics and focus on other ways to serve,” de Blasio said in a Tweet.
“It’s clear to me that when it comes to this congressional district, people are looking for another option and I respect that,” he said in a video he posted.
De Blaiso is leaving a crowded field of a dozen other candidates, according to the New York City board of elections website.
De Blasio left office less than six months ago after serving two terms as New York City mayor. He had previously considered a run for New York governor before deciding against it. He also launched a failed bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
De Blasio in May announced that he was running in a newly drawn district that includes parts of Manhattan and his home borough of Brooklyn.
Within 24 hours of his campaign announcement, he faced stiff competition – New York Rep. Mondaire Jones, who currently represents the 17th Congressional District, and state Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou both announced bids. New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera is also running for the seat.
The primary is set for August 23.
In the video posted Tuesday, de Blasio said he was feeling a lot of gratitude but “also recognizing I made mistakes, I want to do better in the future. I want to learn from those mistakes.”
He did not elaborate, but said at the end of his video that it’s been a “humbling” and “healthy” experience.
The former mayor, who was at New York City’s helm through the peaks of the pandemic, touted his pride for the city’s comeback.
“I love the people of this city, I really want to keep serving, and I’m going to find a different way to serve,” he said.
CNN’s Ethan Cohen and Richard Davis contributed to this report.