New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio entered the crowded field of candidates for the 2020 presidential race on Thursday, touting his experience ridding a major city of many issues.
De Blasio, 58, is now the 23rd Democrat to join the race. According to The New York Times, he is running a 2020 presidential campaign despite warnings from many of his advisers against this. De Blasio would become the first sitting mayor elected president should he win the race.
The New York City mayor is likely to face a challenging campaign, given that even many New Yorkers hold very strong opinions about him. De Blasio will also likely face difficulties with regards to fundraising.
Among de Blasio’s signature issues that could make him stand out above other 2020 contenders is his proposal for a universal pre-kindergarten program, and his accomplishments include lowering New York City’s crime rate.
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De Blasio made his official announcement via a three-minute video called “Working People First.” The mayor, who has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, has already visited multiple early presidential primary states.
“I’m a New Yorker, I’ve known Trump’s a bully for a long time,” he said in the video.
De Blasio quickly drew mockery from Trump on Twitter:
As mayor of New York City, de Blasio has strived to reduce income inequality and pushed for ending the police practice known as “stop-question-and-frisk,” which a federal judge ruled disproportionately targeted Hispanic and African-American men.
De Blasio, who previously backed Hillary Clinton‘s campaign, has led a New York City mental health program called ThriveNYC.
