New Yorkers Don’t Want deBlasio Presidential Run

By John Celock

A new poll shows that New Yorkers overwhelmingly do not want Mayor Bill deBlasio to seek the Democratic presidential nomination next year.

A Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday shows that 76 percent of those surveyed do not want deBlasio to seek the White House. The poll indicates that 18 percent indicated support for a deBlasio presidential run.

The second term mayor has been testing the waters for a 2020 presidential campaign, including a recent visit to Iowa, along with attempting to establish himself as a national spokesperson on progressive causes.

New York mayors have had a long history of difficulty in seeking higher office in recent decades. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 campaign for Republican presidential nomination ended in defeat, as did former Mayor John Lindsey’s 1972 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Lindsey also was defeated in his 1980 bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. In 1982, former Mayor Ed Koch was defeated in his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor. In 2000, Giuliani dropped a bid for the U.S. Senate following a prostate cancer diagnosis. Former Mayor Robert Wagner was unsuccessful in his 1956 bid for the U.S. Senate, losing the general election to Republican state Attorney General Jacob Javits.

The poll also shows deBlasio with a 42 percent approval rating and a 44 percent disapproval rating of his job performance. The poll comes after a series of negative headlines for deBlasio regarding his handling of the city’s public housing system and his frequent travel outside of the city.

The poll indicated that 43 percent of those polled approve of the job performance of First Lady Chirlane McCray, with 31 percent disapproving of the first lady’s job performance. McCray, her husband’s top advisor and head of a city mental health program, is reportedly considering a bid for Brooklyn borough president in 2021.


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