New York Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Friday morning, saying on MSNBC that “it’s clearly not my time.”
“I have to tell you, at the same time, I feel like I’ve contributed all I can to this primary election, and it’s clearly not my time,” he said on “Morning Joe.” “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 and for a Democrat party that stands for working people.”
De Blasio ends presidential campaign pic.twitter.com/UE83q5ISlr
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 20, 2019
He cited his inability to qualify for the debate stages as the “central reason” for his bowing out. He added that the lateness with which he entered the race was a costly mistake.
“If you don’t get in real early, you have a challenge,” he said. “I have learned that very personally.”
He declined to endorse any candidate, though he did throw a jab at former Vice President Joe Biden.
“If you take the world right this minute, great respect to the Vice President, he’s not presenting that agenda that will energize that vote,” he said of Biden’s chances to generate turnout against President Donald Trump.
During his MSNBC appearance, a piece he wrote was published on the NBC News website titled “Why I’m ending my 2020 campaign — and what I promise to do next.”
In it, he calls running for president a “profound experience” and urges Democrats to focus on the needs of working people, a plank of his campaign.
