Bill de Blasio Announces He Will Not Enter New York Governor’s Race

By Yehudit Garmaise

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this morning on Twitter that he will not be running for governor, the deadline for declaring candidacy for which was Jan. 15, after months of attempting to raise money and garner support and endorsements for his potential candidacy.

“No, I am not going to be running for governor of New York state,” said de Blasio in a video that was recorded near his home in Park Slope. “But I’m going to devote every fiber of my being to fight inequality in the state of New York.”

The former mayor had previously filed paperwork to run for governor and had formed a committee for his potential candidacy, however, New Yorkers reported, in polls, a lack of enthusiasm for de Blasio as governor, and several potential donors invested in other candidates, namely: incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is proving to be quite well-liked in the role she stepped into at the end of August 2021.

In fact, just today, a Siena College opinion poll revealed that Gov. Hochul, who is thought to be the frontrunner is the governor's race and is said to have raised a record $21.6 million for her election, holds an enormous lead over her challengers, and in particular, held a 34% point advantage over de Blasio.

“Let’s keep this fight going, because we proved change can happen in New York,” said Mayor de Blasio, who cited “Pre-K for every child. Now 3K coming on, and hundreds of thousands of affordable apartments,” as evidence of the positive changes he forged. 

In December 2021, de Blasio seemed to be formulating a platform inspired by his victories in New York City to provide free early childhood education, as he promoted his idea to provide free, year-round public school with extended programs and hours.

“I am going to share some more news with you in the days ahead,” the mayor said, hinting that he will not be leaving politics. 

Photo by: Flickr