De Blasio brushes off low poll numbers: ‘The vast majority of Democratic voters are going to make their decision late’

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a 2020 White House hopeful, on Tuesday rejected concerns about his low poll numbers, saying most Democratic voters are “going to make their decision late.”

“There is not, in the end, I think, a sense among Democratic voters that they are secure where they want to go,” de Blasio told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota. “The vast majority of Democratic voters are going to make their decision late.

“I’ve proven in New York that big changes can happen,” de Blasio added. “When I go all over the country, this is what people want to see, and I can say, ‘Hey, I’ve actually gotten this done.’ So the more people get to know this record and this vision that I have, I think it’s going to move people.” 

2020 hopeful Bill de Blasio reacts to ranking low in new CNN poll: “There is not, in the end I think, a sense among Democratic voters that they are secure where they want to go. The vast majority of Democratic voters are going to make their decision late” https://t.co/UAFHGyRvAq pic.twitter.com/fcNll8jP4U

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 20, 2019

De Blasio has less than 1 percent support in a new CNN poll, trailing more than a dozen other 2020 Democrats. Former Vice President Joe Biden, on the other hand, has regained a double-digit lead over fellow White House contenders, reaching 29 percent support in the poll.{mosads}

Part of the challenge, de Blasio said on CNN, is to “prove that you can get things done for the American people” and to be “tough enough” to point out President Trump’s failed campaign promises, taking aim at Biden in his presidential pitch.

“With all due respect to Joe Biden … you’re not going to see Democrats want a candidate without that strong message, because without that message, we don’t beat Donald Trump,” he said.

De Blasio, who launched his White House bid in May, has yet to qualify for the third round of Democratic presidential primary debates in September.

Ten other Democratic presidential contenders — including Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kamala Harris (Calif.) — have met the polling and fundraising thresholds to take the debate stage this fall.