New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced he is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race.
De Blasio struggled to gain traction and often polled at less than one percent.
“It’s true: I’m ending my candidacy for president. But our fight on behalf of working people is far from over,” de Blasio wrote on Twitter.
De Blasio made the announcement on Sept. 20 on a morning show.
“Getting out there, being able to hear people’s concerns, address them with new ideas, has been an extraordinary experience,” he said. “But I have to tell you, at the same time, I’ve contributed all I can to this primary election. It’s clearly not my time. So I’m going to end my presidential campaign.”
President Donald Trump reacted to the news, writing on Twitter: “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.”
He added: “NYC is devastated, he’s coming home!”
De Blasio is the seventh major Democratic candidate to withdraw, following Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska), and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).
Those who remain in the race are: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Obama administration cabinet secretary Julian Castro, former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Penn.), billionaire Tom Steyer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), author Marianne Williamson, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Trump is the presumptive nominee on the Republican side, with strong support within his party. Three people are running against him: former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld.