Bill de Blasio, self-professed ‘expert’ in ‘being unpopular,’ announces run for Congress

Former Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he would seek a term in Congress during an appearance Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

De Blasio said he would run in New York’s 10th Congressional District, which will be redrawn under the newly proposed state congressional map expected to be finalized Friday. The district will include his Brooklyn residence, ABC News reported.

“The 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. “I do know how to do it, from years of serving the people in this city.”

De Blasio, who ran a short-lived campaign for president in 2020, was incredibly unpopular towards the end of his time in office, with a Siena poll released in October showing him with a favorability of 25% and an unfavorability of 56%. It was lower than the favorability of both former President Donald Trump and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Breaking: @BilldeBlasio announces his run for Congress pic.twitter.com/3LXkcImS0w

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) May 20, 2022

“When it comes to being unpopular, I’m unfortunately somewhat of an expert,” de Blasio wrote in an April op-ed for The Atlantic. (RELATED: New York High Court Throws Out Congressional Map For ‘Impermissibly’ Favoring Democrats)

The state’s 10th district is currently represented by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who announced he would run in New York’s 12th Congressional District after the proposed map was released. The decision sets Nadler up for a primary against the district’s current congresswoman, Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney.

More infighting among Democrats occurred after New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney announced he would run in freshman Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones’ district under the new lines. At least a dozen House Democrats have considered attempting to depose Maloney from his position as Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair because of his decision, Politico reported.

De Blasio did not immediately return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].