NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio credited himself along with other Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential field for helping former Vice President Joe Biden “evolve” on a number of his previous policy positions.
“I make this point about Biden. If there wasn’t all that energy being expressed by progressives, maybe he wouldn’t have evolved some of his positions,” de Blasio told reporters Friday hours after he announced he was ending his presidential run.
When asked by the Washington Examiner if he felt his campaign could not get off the ground because of his brand of politics or because he was the one delivering the message, he responded, “I think in a field of 20-something candidates, you know, it’s hard to understand exactly what happened in the course of the campaign. It’s a long way to go to see what will happen ultimately. I feel very good about the message. I feel that people want progressive change.”
De Blasio continued, “They want to focus on the needs of working people. The message resonated real well. I wish I had more time. I wish I had more resources. I think that would make a difference … and I think more than just the other candidates.”
The New York City mayor, who could not get above 1% support, also said he believes the electorate will continue to push Biden further in a progressive direction.
“To be fair, he has moved on some policies already,” he said. “I think because there’s so much progressive energy in the party, you’ve probably seen him go farther on climate and on healthcare and other issues than he might have on his own.”
