Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio drops out of congressional race

Political strategist Lis Smith on Mayor Bill de Blasio

Political strategist Lis Smith talks to Good Day New York about her memories of former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio time in office.

NEW YORK - The Former Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio announced that he was ending his campaign for Congress on Tuesday, less than two months after he initially announced his candidacy.

"It’s clear the people of #NY10 are looking for another option and I respect that," de Blasio said in a tweet. "Time for me to leave electoral politics and focus on other ways to serve. I am really grateful for all the people I met, the stories I heard and the many good souls who helped out. Thank you all!"

De Blasio had announced he was running for Congress on May 20, intending to compete to become the Democratic nominee for the newly-drawn 10th Congressional District.

"I'm very proud of having led this city out of the worst of the COVID crisis," de Blasio said in an appearance on MSNBC at the time. "I'm ready right now to serve and address the issues that are so deep in communities in Brooklyn and Manhattan."

De Blasio served as Mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021, when he was replaced by current Mayor Eric Adams.

He considered running for governor of New York but opted not to challenge incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul. He also had a short-lived run for president in 2019, which lasted two months longer than this year's congressional campaign.

Recent polling had placed de Blasio near the bottom of the field of 13 Democrats seeking to represent New York's 10th Congressional District. Other candidates in running in the Aug. 23 primary include U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones, who currently represents a Hudson Valley seat but decided to make a 2022 campaign further south in the metropolis, along with New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, who last served in Congress in 1981, and Daniel Goldman, the former federal prosecutor who served as counsel to House Democrats in the first impeachment inquiry against former president Donald Trump.

Rep. Jerry Nadler represents New York's 10th district now but will no longer live in it after redistricting.