Bill de Blasio announces run for Congress

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

"I’m ready right now to serve and address the issues that are so deep in communities in Brooklyn and Manhattan," de Blasio, a 61-year-old Democrat, said in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

He touted his accomplishments from his time as mayor, saying, "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’m very proud of having led this city out of the worst of the Covid crisis."

"These are communities — working-class, middle-class communities ... that have been hit so hard by Covid," he said. "Folks are feeling kitchen table issues, and I fundamentally believe they’re looking for leaders that can go to Washington and get some of the things we need done 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 spans from Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn and includes Park Slope, de Blasio’s neighborhood. The Democratic primary, initially scheduled for late June, will be held Aug. 23 to allow for implementation of the new map.

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