Bill De Blasio Drops Out Of Presidential Race

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped out of the presidential race Friday after failing to qualify for the most recent Democratic debate earlier this month.

“It’s clearly not my time,” he said, announcing his departure from the 2020 contest for the party’s nomination on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

De Blasio struggled to gain traction as a candidate. Though he regularly polled below 1%, the two-term mayor dismissed concerns about his electability.

In a late August CNN interview, De Blasio argued that, as one of the last candidates to enter the race, Democratic voters just needed more time to get to know him.

“There is not … I think, a sense among Democratic voters that they are secure in where they want to go,” he told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota. “The vast majority of Democratic voters are going to make their decision late.”

De Blasio said Friday he will support whoever becomes the Democratic nominee, but added: “I do believe we need a progressive.”

His campaign had touted his experience as mayor of the country’s largest city, though many New Yorkers have criticized his leadership.

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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio drops out of presidential race

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he is ending his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination.

“I feel like I’ve contributed all I can to this primary election, and it is clearly not my time, so I am going to end my presidential campaign,” de Blasio announced live on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program.

De Blasio has consistently polled in the low single digits and this week was below 1% in the Real Clear Politics polling average.

De Blasio said he was pulling out because he couldn’t meet the bar to get into upcoming debates.

In the interview, the New York Mayor said he wasn’t prepared to back a candidate yet.

De Blasio said he would continue to press the eventual Democratic nominee to speak for working class Americans.

“I do believe we need a progressive,” he said.

He said his campaign never got off the ground because he “started later than I would have liked.”

De Blasio said he would support former Vice President Joe Biden if he was the nominee.

He added that Biden’s agenda so far is not going energize young and progressive voters but he said there was still time for Biden to refine his message. “I believe in redemption. There is plenty of time,” he said.

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Bill de Blasio drops out of 2020 presidential race

Democratic presidential candidate Bill de Blasio speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party’s Hall of Fame Celebration, Sunday, June 9, 2019, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP)

Democratic presidential candidate and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday morning he is ending his White House bid.

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“I feel like I’ve contributed all I can to this primary election. It’s clearly not my time,” he told “Morning Joe” hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough.

De Blasio announced in May he would be running, but has had relatively little success.

Just days before he announced his bid he told the press, “I have never run for anything without intending to win.”

Soon after, President Trump mocked the mayor's announcement on Twitter.