NEW YORK — He’s back on the ballot!
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he’s running for Congress after months of speculation over where he’d next set his political sights.
The ex-mayor made his campaign for New York’s 10th congressional district official in a surprise appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show, citing “polls” as the justification for throwing his hat in the ring.
“The polls show the people are hurting, they need help, they need help fast and they need leaders who can actually get them help now, and I know how to do it,” de Blasio said. “I do know how to do it from years of serving the people of this city, so today I am declaring my candidacy for Congress.”
The announcement comes two days after de Blasio formed an “exploratory committee” to run for the 10th district.
De Blasio is far from the only politician who has recently expressed interest in running in the 10th district, which under a new congressional map will cover a chunk of western Brooklyn and a large swath of downtown Manhattan.
Among other potential contenders are State Sen. Brad Hoylman, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and Assembly members Robert Carroll and Jo Anne Simon.
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