“My presidential campaign may be over, but I am going to keep fighting for working people – and ensuring that New York City remains the vanguard of progressivism,” De Blasio wrote in an article on the NBC News website. “This campaign has been a profound experience for me. I saw America in full – not as it appears on Twitter and cable news, where we’re constantly shown a country hamstrung by our differences and unable to tackle the problems we face.”The news of De Blasio’s campaign ending went viral.Josh Ginsberg of the San Francisco-based media analytics firm Zignal Labs told the New York Post that his dropping out “garnered roughly 84,000 mentions in roughly four hours, surpassing his highest media moments while a candidate.”Ginsberg also told the Post that De Blasio's Twitter handle got “141,000 social engagements” following the announcement.President Donald Trump tweeted his reaction to De Blasio’s announcement, sarcastically remarking that “NYC is devastated, he’s coming home!”
Oh no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years! Part time Mayor of New York City, @BilldeBlasio, who was polling at a solid ZERO but had tremendous room for growth, has shocking dropped out of the Presidential race. NYC is devastated, he’s coming home!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2019
In 2013 De Blasio became New York City’s first democratic mayor in 20 years, after Rudy Guliani and Michael Bloomberg. He said that he plans to re-focus on NYC now that his campaign has come to a close.“I’m going to redouble my efforts to improve the quality of life of everyday New Yorkers, proving that policies like guaranteed paid personal time off can work on a grand scale.” De Blasio said he would implement universal healthcare and a Green New Deal in NYC, the most populous city in the US and its most densely populate major city.He reaffirmed his passion for NYC: “Throughout history, New York City has often performed a vital role for this nation: When the country threatens to lurch in a more divisive direction, we’ve always been a beacon moving toward a more hopeful future.”De Blasio also spoke of his desire to change the Democratic Party’s image, referencing President Trump’s mannerisms. “Yes, Donald Trump lies to working people, but he at least pretends to talk to them. That may be enough for him to win, if we do not constantly make it clear that the Democrats are the party of everyday Americans in rural counties and urban centers, the coasts and the heartland.” In a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of Democratic voters, 1% supported De Blasio. Currently, former vice president Joe Biden is strongly leading in the polls, ahead of fellow front-runners Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
De Blasio has just over two years left in his mayoral term.