Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York said a lack of a “meaningful role” kept him from appearing at the Democratic State Convention.
As many of New York’s top Democrats gathered on Long Island on Wednesday for the party’s state convention, one prominent Democrat was noticeably absent: Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Mr. de Blasio, who holds one of the most recognizable political offices in the country, and who has traveled to Iowa and other cities and states around the country to promote progressive Democratic ideals, was apparently not quite as welcome in his home state.
“There was not an invitation to play a meaningful role at the convention,” he said on Wednesday at an unrelated news conference in the Bronx. “I got a lot of other good things I can do with my time and so I’m not worried about it.”
The mayor did not say why he thought he had not been given a significant role, but it seemed likely that it had to do with the main attraction at the convention: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who will formally receive the State Democratic Party’s backing on Thursday.
Mr. de Blasio did attend the Democratic State Convention in 2014 and had a speaking role, but not a major one, said Eric F. Phillips, the mayor’s press secretary. But Mr. de Blasio and Mr. Cuomo’s relationship has grown much more difficult during that time.
Over the last four years, the two men have been embroiled in a very public and nasty feud. As the state’s top elected official, Mr. Cuomo is considered the head of the New York Democratic Party.
“The governor is in charge of the state party, and the state party drives the agenda,” said Carl E. Heastie, speaker of the State Assembly, when asked about Mr. de Blasio’s absence.
Complicating matters is Mr. Cuomo’s likely Democratic primary opponent, Cynthia Nixon, the actress and education activist who has hired some of Mr. de Blasio’s former campaign aides.
Ms. Nixon, who has been making some inroads by winning support from more liberal Democratic groups, did appear at the convention on Wednesday, as did Hillary Clinton, who delivered the keynote address. (Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will appear on Thursday.)
By skipping the convention, Mr. de Blasio avoided being confronted by party delegates about whom he was endorsing for governor; he did not, however, escape such questions from reporters at the news conference. (The mayor said it was premature to weigh in at this juncture.)
“Mayors and governors have fought from time immemorial,” said Douglas Muzzio, a professor of political science at Baruch College. “But this seems to be unique in the fact that the animus is institutional and deeply personal.”
Geoff Berman, executive director of the State Democratic Party, said the convention’s program was created with input from many different sources. The party is focused on winning back control of the State Senate and on picking up additional seats in the Assembly.
“The focus for the convention is we are one, strong united Democratic Party,” Mr. Berman said. “We have a popular, progressive governor and lieutenant governor who are leading New York as a progressive beacon” against the Trump administration.
Bruce Gyory, an adjunct professor of political science at the University at Albany, said Mr. de Blasio needs to create better alliances with mayors and county executives from around the state and country.
“He pays a price for going it alone,” Mr. Gyory said, referring to a failed presidential forum that Mr. de Blasio planned to hold in Iowa about income inequality. The event was canceled when no one agreed to attend.
“If he wants to play a larger role in the politics of the New York State and national Democratic Parties he should do what other mayors have done and build alliances with his fellow mayors and county executives,” Mr. Gyory said.
