NEW YORK, N.Y. (NBC News) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Friday, ending a long shot bid for the Democratic nomination that never went anywhere.
"I feel like I have contributed all I can to this primary election. It’s clearly not my time, so I’m going to end my presidential campaign," de Blasio said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
De Blasio’s bid — launched in May — ultimately lasted just over four months and was largely mocked for most of its short life.
He was widely unpopular in New York City, with an April Quinnipiac Poll showed that more than three-quarters of New Yorkers felt he shouldn’t run, and faced a stiff upward climb in a crowded field of Democratic candidates.
De Blasio had attempted to run on a record of progressive accomplishments, including enacting universal pre-kindergarten and helping to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
But his campaign never took off. A slew of national polls showed him stuck with just 1 percent support — and often times even less. A Siena College poll released earlier this week showed him with 0 percent, even in New York City.
De Blasio failed to qualify for the Democratic debate earlier this month and was all but certain to fail to qualify for the one scheduled for October.
His brief campaign was marred with sparsely attended events and a bevy of unforced errors.
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De Blasio attempted to use Twitter tobrand President Donald Trump — who himself frequently attacked the mayor — as “ConDon,” but that, too, drew mockery because it means condom in Spanish.
And he continued earning the scorn of his fellow New Yorkers for being on the campaign trail during crises in New York City,including a widespread power outage in July.
Even his entrance into the race in May was bogged down with challenges: A Missouri teenager stole the spotlight from his campaign when he scooped the New York City mayor's announcement.
In dropping out, de Blasio joins a growing list of candidates who ended their runs early — and on their own terms.
Last month, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., announced she was ending her presidential bid. Earlier, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and California Rep. Eric Swalwell all also left the Democratic race. There are still 17 people running in the Democratic field.
