Why Was Bill de Blasio Running for President, Anyway?
We asked a bunch of New Yorkers, and they had some far-flung ideas
Yesterday, Bill de Blasio was nestled above us plebeians in his lofty perch of national ambitions as one of 20 people jockeying for the Democratic nomination for president. Today, he’s down here with the rest of us filth — albeit, still mayor of New York City — after announcing that he’s finally dropped out of the race.
His exit from the primary fight doesn’t come as much of a shock. The big man most recently polled at zero percent in both New York State and New York City, while his favorability ratings among New York residents had slumped to seven percentage points lower than Donald Trump’s. Past attempts to round up supporters of de Blasio’s presidential bid have mostly been an exercise in futility: New York magazine’s Eve Peyser could only find two people, and they both knew the mayor personally.
It’s been obvious for a while that de Blasio wasn’t going to win, or even really come close to sniffing, the nomination. So, why did he stick it out for so long?
Over the past few days, I made phone calls and sent emails by day, scoured the New York streets and dive bar scene by night. I polled strangers, friends, friends of friends, and fellow barstool pontificators with…
