New York City Mayor de Blasio to Join Crowded Democratic Presidential Field

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at the 2019 National Action Network National Convention in New York on April 3, 2019. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

NEW YORK—New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that he will enter the 2020 presidential race, according to a source close to the mayor.

A liberal Democrat, the 57-year-old de Blasio is serving his second four-year term as mayor of the country’s biggest city and will be prevented by term limits from running again in 2021. He is scheduled to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday after launching his campaign with a video, said the source, who requested anonymity to discuss the rollout ahead of time.

De Blasio’s entry will swell the ranks of Democratic hopefuls to two dozen, all aiming to take on President Donald Trump, who is expected to be the Republican nominee next year.

Even after six years overseeing a city of more than 8 million people, de Blasio faces an uphill battle to stand out among the Democratic contenders, who include former Vice President Joe Biden, and Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

During his first run for mayor, de Blasio campaigned on reducing income inequality while providing more services for working-class families, themes that have become mainstays for national Democratic figures.

His signature policy accomplishment was establishing universal pre-kindergarten in the largest school system in the country. De Blasio’s administration has also implemented police reforms, paid sick leave, increases in the minimum wage and new identification cards that allow illegal immigrants to access city services.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces the expansion of the "Meatless Mondays" program across all NYC public schools that will begin in fall. (City of New York)

But the mayor has grappled with setbacks. A federal criminal investigation did not result in charges against de Blasio but nevertheless found the mayor or his associates accepted contributions from donors seeking official favors and then made inquiries to city agencies on their behalf.

The city is also confronting a persistent housing crisis, including a growing homeless population, despite de Blasio’s push to finance tens of thousands of affordable housing units.

De Blasio, who has been described by The New York Times as “a young leftist” in his earlier days, recently launched his own version of the controversial “Green New Deal” that recently was presented to Congress. His progressive plan aims to cut emissions from the city’s high rises and “ban” the classic glass and steel skyscrapers that make up the Big Apple’s skyline.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio holds a news conference in front of Trump Tower following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in New York on Nov. 16, 2016. (Mark Lennihan/AP)

In March, the mayor of the Big Apple implemented a “Meatless Monday” school program that would provide students in the city’s 1,800 public schools an all-vegetarian breakfast and lunch menus every Monday, which he said would improve New Yorkers’ health and reduce their environmental impact on the planet.

In January, he announced a health care plan to cover an estimated 600,000 residents, including illegal immigrants. The mayor touted the program as a step toward universal health care.

De Blasio, in his 2019 State of the City speech, also touted the redistribution of wealth.

“Brothers and sisters, there’s plenty of money in the world. There’s plenty of money in this city. It’s just in the wrong hands,” he said. “You deserve a city that gives you the share of prosperity that you have earned.”

De Blasio’s constituents have not appeared excited about the prospect of their mayor running for president. A Quinnipiac University poll in April found that more than three-quarters of New Yorkers said he should not make a White House bid.

De Blasio has teased a presidential run for months, holding fundraisers and traveling to key early voting states like New Hampshire and Iowa to meet with activists and voters.

He will hold several events in Iowa on Friday before traveling to another early voting state, South Carolina, for the weekend.

Epoch Times reporter Bowen Xiao contributed to this report.