De Blasio announces he won’t run in Congressional District 11 race

February 16, 2022 Jaime DeJesus

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio won't be running for Congress.

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There won’t be a return at the polls for Bill de Blasio this year

The former mayor, who was rumored to be considering running in the 11^th Congressional District Democratic primary, has officially bowed out, opening the door for a rematch between former U.S. Rep. Max Rose and incumbent U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.

“I’ve represented the neighborhoods of the 11th CD for years and I love the people who live here. It was gratifying to connect with community and elected leaders while I considered a run. I’m certain a progressive can win this seat and serve us in Washington,” he stated via Twitter in Tuesday, Feb. 15. Rose is considered a middle-of-the road Democrat.

“Back in January, I made a decision to focus on advocating for policies that would continue to drive down income inequality in New York — one of my proudest achievements. I’m going to stick with that decision — it was the right one then and it remains so,” de Blasio added.

U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who is running for re-election. Photo courtesy of NY State Assembly

De Blasio also ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 before quickly exiting the race.

Malliotakis, who ran for mayor as a Republican in 2017 but lost to incumbent de Blasio, responded to the decision.

“For once, Bill de Blasio made a wise decision,” her campaign spokesman Rob Ryan told the New York Post. “He knows that in the 2017 race for mayor, Nicole Malliotakis beat him by double digits in the neighborhoods that make up the new 11th Congressional District, and she’ll beat whichever liberal the Democrats run this year.”

The possibility of a run for de Blasio coincided with a change in the congressional district’s map. It used to include only Staten Island and Southwest Brooklyn, but will now also include Sunset Park and Park Slope, two neighborhoods that lean heavily Democrat. The new map also shows that the district would no longer contain parts of Bath Beach and Gravesend, as it did in the past.

Former U.S. Rep. Max Rose. Photo courtesy of Rose campaign

De Blasio is a Park Slope resident, and this could have potentially hurt Rose’s chance of securing the democratic nomination to have a rematch with Malliotakis to win back his congressional seat.

On election night in 2020, the New York City Board of Elections had Malliotakis leading with 58.3 percent of the vote, and Rose, the incumbent, with 41.8 percent. He conceded a week later.

Rose will still have to face another Democratic challenger, Brittany Ramos DeBarros.