De Blasio Decides Against Congressional Bid

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Voters won't see Bill de Blasio's name on a ballot any time soon, according to reports.

After considering a run for Congress in Park Slope-slash-Staten-Island's newly mapped District 11, the former mayor announced on Tuesday he will not run for the seat.

"I’ve represented the neighborhoods of the 11th CD for years and I love the people who live here. It was gratifying to connect with community and elected leaders while I considered a run," de Blasio tweeted, adding, that he is "certain a progressive can win this seat and serve us in Washington."

That won't be him, though, de Blasio said, continuing: "Back in January, I made a decision to focus on advocating for policies that would continue to drive down income inequality in New York - one of my proudest achievements. I'm going to stick with that decision - it was the right one then and it remains so."

Other outlets also took his statement as an announcement that de Blasio is not running for Congress, though he has not spoken publicly since posting the series of tweets.

Last month, in a very similar statement, the former mayor said that he would not run for governor, instead choosing to focus his energy on fighting inequality.

De Blasio, however, was not seen as a particularly popular congressional or gubernatorial candidate, having left office with a lower approval rating than two widely disgraced former politicians: Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo.

The Democratic Party, which (many agree) redrew New York's district maps in part to gain more congressional seats, was also not happy to learn about de Blasio's possible congressional bid, a source told the New York Post.

"The last thing they want is a primary race where money is wasted and there is mudslinging," the source said.

De Blasio's choice to not run in District 11 might address concerns of dirty politics (for now), but the issue of wasted money is too late — the former mayor already raised over $874,000 for his possible and now-defunct congressional bid, which can only be used for future political, legislative, or governmental purposes.

As of now, the race for the District 11 seat will likely come down to incumbent U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, New York City's only Republican representative in the legislature, and Democrat Max Rose, who held the seat for a single term but lost to Malliotakis in 2020.

Related Article: Park Slope Joins Staten Island In Congressional Redistricting