De Blasio Rules Out Run for Governor, Ending Months of Speculation

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday that he will not run for governor this year, bringing an end to months of speculation about whether he would enter the Democratic primary.

De Blasio delivered the news in a 97-second video, which he filmed on his home block in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and posted on Twitter. "No, I am not going to run for governor in New York State," he said. "But I am going to devote every fiber of my being to fight inequality in the state of New York."

In the video, he pointed to the rollout of universal pre-kindergarten for the city's 4-year-olds, the continuing expansion of education for 3-year-olds, and gains in affordable housing. He also poked fun at himself, acknowledging "I made my fair share of mistakes. I was not good with groundhogs at all. Probably should not have gone to the gym," a reference to two episodes from his time in office that drew mockery and criticism. "But you know what? We changed things in this town," he added. He suggested there would be more news from him in the coming days.

The announcement arrived on the day that candidates' most recent campaign finance filings are due in the state. Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state's first woman governor, is expected to report more than $20 million raised. Rep. Tom Suozzi of Long Island said his campaign collected over $5 million in six weeks. Sources said de Blasio was expected to have raised just under $1 million without formally launching a campaign.

His path toward a possible bid appeared to begin in early fall, soon after Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor following sexual harassment allegations and a critical report on his conduct from the state attorney general's office. De Blasio, who feuded openly with Cuomo for much of his two terms at City Hall, began sounding out supporters and assembling a team, saying only that he wanted to remain in public service.

Politico New York reported in October on his new fundraising committee, New Yorkers for a Fairer Future. A month later it reported hires that included former senior adviser Peter Ragone, pollster Anna Greenberg, members of Sen. Bernie Sanders' digital team, and Bearstar Strategies, the group that led the campaign to defeat the recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Ragone confirmed the team is expected to keep working together on de Blasio's next steps. Two months ago, de Blasio also released a video promising to campaign for expanded early childhood education statewide, which resembled a campaign launch but was not one.

The odds were steep. A Siena College Research Institute poll released Monday and conducted January 9 to 13 found Hochul with 46% of Democrats. De Blasio was second at 12%, ahead of city Public Advocate Jumaane Williams at 11% and Suozzi at 6%, while 24% were unsure or named someone else. Still, 45% of Democrats viewed de Blasio unfavorably, compared with 42% favorably. Pollster Steve Greenberg said that with 22 weeks until the primary, Hochul appeared to be "in the catbird seat."

De Blasio has run for higher office before. In 2019 he joined other Democrats visiting Iowa and was once caught in a blizzard there before formally declaring. He entered the presidential race in May of that year and stayed in until September, when weak fundraising and polling left him short of the debate qualifications.

Former advisers say he saw early that a governor's race would not succeed. "I think he put his finger to the wind and realized there wasn't a path, and now is a better time to reach that decision than after months of grueling campaigning and fundraising," said Monica Klein, a partner at Seneca Strategies who worked on his 2013 and 2017 mayoral campaigns. She added that his continued interest in state politics was unsurprising: "Anyone who has spent time in City Hall quickly realizes, Albany is where the real power lies."