New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio exited the 2020 presidential race on Friday.
“I feel like I have contributed all I can to this primary election. It’s clearly not my time, so I’m going to end my presidential campaign, continue my work as mayor of New York City, and I’m going to keep speaking up for working people,” de Blasio said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
De Blasio urged the Democratic Party to focus on the needs of the working class in an NBC News op-ed released shortly after his announcement on Friday, warning that if the party did not, President Trump would win reelection in 2020.{mosads}
“Yes, Donald Trump lies to working people, but he at least pretends to talk to them,” de Blasio wrote. “That may be enough for him to win, if we do not constantly make it clear that the Democrats are the party of everyday Americans in rural counties and urban centers, the coasts and the heartland.”
The New York City mayor jumped into the race in May, touting his progressive stances on health care and free kindergarten.
However, he failed to gain traction in the crowded Democratic primary despite his high profile as the mayor of New York City.
A Sienna College poll released earlier this week showed the mayor clocking in at less than 1 percent support in New York City and New York state.
Moreover, a RealClearPolitics average of polls had him at less than 1 percent.
De Blasio, who did not qualify for the September debates, hinted earlier this month that he would end his White House bid if he did not make the October debate stage.
“I wanted to get into the September debates, that wasn’t possible,” he said.
“I think the logical thing to say is, you know, I’m going to try to get into the October debates and if I can then I think that’s a good reason to keep going forward, and if I can’t I think it’s really tough to conceive of continuing. So that’s the way I’m looking at it right now.”
De Blasio also explained that he anticipated simultaneously campaigning and governing the nation’s largest city would become increasingly difficult heading into the new year, saying there’s a “seasonal reality” to overseeing New York City.
“What are the big milestones of the year? It’s the April 1 state budget, and then in June the city budget and the state legislative session ending,” de Blasio told reporters. “And that was my first responsibility. The second half of the year there’s more flexibility.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind we had to first attend to some of those key things on the home front.”
Trump reacted to news of de Blasio’s exit from the race on Twitter on Friday.
Updated at 2:40 p.m.