Widely panned outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio did not rule out a run for the Empire State governorship following former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s disgraced departure.
During a Friday interview with MSNBC’s Morning Joe, the Big Apple mayor announced that he was considering a gubernatorial run for New York.
Host Willie Geist cited recent reports of de Blasio getting a temperature read from labor unions and asked the mayor point-blank if he is considering a run for governor.
De Blasio noted that he and Gov. Kathy Hochul “respect” and “like” one another, but that the “politics” in the 2022 New York gubernatorial race was “a whole other world.”
“I believe in public service, I’ve done it my whole life,” de Blasio said. “I want to keep working on crucial issues and causes particularly care about things like education for our kids. … So we’ll see what the future brings.”
The New York City mayor was pressed by Geist on whether he was considering a run, which de Blasio didn’t take off the table.
“Willie, I want to keep serving in one way or another in the future,” de Blasio said. “So, I’m going to look at different options. Absolutely.”
Chatter about a potential de Blasio gubernatorial run has picked up after Cuomo’s resignation, which elevated Lt. Gov. Hochul to the governorship.
De Blasio has already begun laying the groundwork for a potential candidacy, Politico reported Thursday.
The mayor has been a critic of Cuomo amid the scandals, and was looking at a life out of the public eye before the New York giant fell.
De Blasio may face an uphill battle, however, even from his own city — he was recently booed at the “Welcome Back NYC” concert that was canceled by storms stemming from Tropical Storm Henri.
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