Tipsheet

De Blasio's Comments About Possible Political Ambitions Did Not Go Over Well on Social Media

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  September 04, 2021 7:30 AM

New Yorkers who were breathing a sigh of relief that term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio will be out the door by the end of December 2021 may want to brace themselves for the possibility of a Gov. Bill de Blasio.

The Democrat acknowledged during an interview with MSNBC’s Willie Geist that it’s an option he’s considering.

"There's been some reporting that you've been calling around to labor groups to look into a possible run for the governor's office yourself. Are you considering a run to be the next governor of New York?" Geist asked de Blasio.

At first the mayor tried to dodge the question by saying which issues he’d like to continue focusing on, but Geist persisted.

"Willie, I want to keep serving in one way or another in the future, so I'm going to look at different options, absolutely," he responded.

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The comment comes after Politico reported de Blasio has been “gauging support” for a prospective run.

De Blasio phoned several labor leaders in recent days to gauge support, a union affiliate familiar with the previously unreported conversations told POLITICO.

“He’s letting the leaders know that he’s considering running for governor,” said the person, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the preliminary steps.

Asked to characterize the conversations, the person said, “He’s just asking friends to hold off on making a decision” about endorsements until he figures out his own plans.

“It was just to let them know that he’s seriously considering running with the explicit purpose of trying to head off any momentum for Tish and Kathy,” the person added, referring to Attorney General Tish James and Gov. Kathy Hochul, who assumed office when Cuomo resigned last month after a report found he had sexually harassed staffers.

Several current and former aides to de Blasio acknowledged he wants to stay in politics — the only career path he has ever known. (Politico)

As even liberal outlets have reported, de Blasio remains an “unpopular figure in both local and national politics.” A poll from June found “72 percent of the 1,000 Democratic voters surveyed rated Mayor Bill de Blasio’s performance as ‘fair’ or ‘poor,’ while just 26 percent said he was doing a ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ job.”

The news did not go over well on social media.