Former NYC mayor de Blasio announces bid for Congress

WASHINGTON - Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he is running for Congress in the state's newly drawn 10th Congressional District.

I am ready to address the issues that are so deep in communities in Brooklyn and Manhattan, said de Blasio, a 61-year-old Democrat, in an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe. He said he had accomplishments from his time as mayor. He said, We reduced income inequality. We helped people by getting pre-K and 3 - K for all their children, taking a huge expense off their plates. I am proud to have led this city out of the worst of the Covid crisis. These communities are middle-class, working-class communities that have been hit so hard by Covid, he said. Folks are feeling kitchen table issues and I fundamentally believe they are looking for leaders that can go to Washington and do some of the things we need to do to lower costs. Asked what he would say to constituents who are tired of rising crime rates, de Blasio said New York needs investments in the right communities, in police and in community-based solutions to combat violence.

The 10th Congressional District includes Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn and includes Park Slope, de Blasio's neighborhood. The Democratic primary, originally scheduled for June 23th, will be held Aug. 23 to allow for the implementation of the new map.

After serving as mayor for eight years, de Blasio left City Hall at the end of December. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination during the 2020 election cycle.