Just a few short weeks after finishing his term as New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio may reportedly be thinking about a run for the U.S. House.
The Democrat could be looking at running for New York’s 11th Congressional District which, since redistricting, now includes Park Slope, Brooklyn where the former mayor has a home. The New York Post cited sources who said that de Blasio has “been making calls” about a primary challenge against former Rep. Max Rose who lost his race in 2020 to Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island, Brooklyn).
“De Blasio’s allies believe he could perform well among Black and Latino voters in parts of the district, though he has remained unpopular among conservative white voters and progressives of his native Park Slope alike, according to polls,” Politico reported, also saying that “two people familiar with his thinking confirmed” the former mayor’s plans.
“The Democratic Party is not happy about this. The last thing they want is a primary race where money is wasted and there is mudslinging,” a source told the New York Post on Wednesday. “However, no one is surprised because de Blasio never listens to anyone.”
The new redistricting map is set to go before New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for her signature and could help Democrats flip some House seats in November’s election.
A long-time critic of de Blasio, Rose slammed the then-mayor in an ad in 2020 saying “Bill de Blasio is the worst mayor in the history of New York City.”
He responded to rumors about de Blasio’s possible congressional run in an email to supporters on Tuesday with a subject line that said, “De Blasio running against me (swear this isn’t a joke),” according to the Post.
“Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has never been my biggest fan, but now he might be my primary opponent,” Rose wrote. “I know, I laughed at first too, but the implications aren’t funny.”
Malliotakis, who ran against de Blasio in 2017, also reacted on Twitter.
Malliotakis-de Blasio rematch?? Democrat leadership, in their desperate attempt to cancel me and silence our voice in Congress, are redrawing our district to connect #StatenIsland to Park Slope, creating an opportunity for the disastrous mayor to run against me this November! https://t.co/a0BAwWmJqd
— Nicole Malliotakis (@NMalliotakis) February 1, 2022
De Blasio, who was term-limited from running for mayor again, served as NYC mayor from 2014 until 2021.
The rumors about de Blasio running again were not exactly inspiring to Twitter users:
The idea of Bill De Blasio representing anyone other than himself is frankly hilarious and also disturbing.
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) February 1, 2022
Dear Bill de Blasio,
Please go away.
From,
Most everyone who lives in NYC. #maxrose #BillDeBlasio— Clown Slayer (@Karen_Santiago1) February 3, 2022
Nooooo!
— Karla Fisk (@KarlaFisk) February 1, 2022
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