Former NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio Announces Run For Congress

Topline

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday he is running for Congress, as New York’s congressional maps are being redrawn after an appeals court threw out state Democrats’ redistricting plan last month.

Key Facts

De Blasio, 61, is running to represent New York’s 10th Congressional District, which is proposed to include lower Manhattan and portions of Brooklyn.

He said “the way to save our democracy is to be part of it” in a tweet announcing his bid.

Rep. Jerry Nadler currently represents the 10th, but said he will vacate the seat and run in the 12th Congressional District if the new map is finalized.

De Blasio’s announcement comes two days after he launched an exploratory committee to run in the district.

The former mayor served for two terms from 2014 to 2021, and acknowledged his unpopularity in an op-ed he wrote in the Atlantic earlier this month.

Crucial Quote

“I’m very proud of having led this city out of the worst of the COVID crisis,” de Blasio said on MSNBC. “I’m ready right now to serve and address the issues that are so deep in communities in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and I just wanted… to tell you this is the next step and I want to serve the people of the community that is my home and that I love.”

Tangent

New York’s congressional maps are being redrawn under supervision of a judge after a state appeals court tossed Democrats’ plan, saying last month they were drawn with “impermissible partisan purpose.” The court unveiled new proposed maps this week that would combine the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side into the 12th District, which could cause Reps. Nadler and Carolyn Maloney to face off in a primary against each other.

What To Watch For

New York’s congressional and state Senate primaries will be held on August 23, after a judge ordered them to be pushed back from June 28.

Further Reading

NY Court Of Appeals Throws Out ‘Partisan’ Congressional Maps Drawn By Democrats (Forbes)

Judge Shifts Some New York Primaries To August After Court Scraps Voting Maps (Forbes)