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Why is Bill de Blasio running for president? Why not

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De Blasio’s rocky tenure as New York City mayor could impede his progress as a Democratic presidential candidate
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has entered the presidential race, rounding the number of Democratic candidates to an even two dozen.
Mayors of the largest city in the U. S. tend not to do well on the national stage — just ask President Trump’s current lawyer and failed 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani. But de Blasio is hoping that he will be able to stand out from the myriad other contenders, and not just because he is the tallest candidate in the race at 6’5″.
His campaign slogan, « Working People First, » echoes the populist message that catapulted him to the mayoralty in 2013, when he was the clear underdog in the Democratic primary. His interracial family, which was featured in advertisements in the 2013 race, could be an asset for a white man in a race full of white men. And de Blasio does have a real, concrete progressive accomplishment implemented during his tenure: universal pre-K for all children in New York City.
The question for de Blasio is not why he is entering the race, but why not, according to longtime New York political operative Hank Sheinkopf.
« He has nothing to lose, he has potentially lots to win, » said Sheinkopf, whose clients have included President Clinton and Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who mulled a 2020 bid. « Lightning might strike. »
After all, another unlikely contender from New York muscled his way through a large primary field to win his party’s nomination in 2016. But Mr. Trump had universal name recognition thanks to his long-running TV show « The Apprentice » and his decades as a talk show guest and tabloid fixture. De Blasio, meanwhile, has struggled to establish himself as a national progressive figure.

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