Why does former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio not want to run for governor?

Bill de Blasio, the former mayor of New York City, on Tuesday announced that he will not run for governor. The 2022 New York gubernatorial election is scheduled to be held in November. 

With de Blasio backing out of the race, not entering the Democratic Primary, curent governor Kathy Hochul is an overwhleming favourite to retain her position.

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Announcing his decision, de Blassio, who became New York’s governor in 2013, said he will devote himself to fighting inequality in the state. 

“No, I not going to to be running for governor of New York state. But I am going to devote every fiber of my being to fight inequality in the state of New York,” the former mayor said in a video posted on Twitter.

De Blasio did not offer more detail about how he plans to fight inequality.

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The 60-year-old frequently clashed with former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from office in 2021 amid allegations he sexually harassed numerous women. He left office at the end of 2021 and had been hinting for months about a 2022 run for governor.

After Cuomo, Kathy Hochul took over as New York governor. She faces two main challengers in the Democratic primary. Jumaane Williams and Tom Suozzi. 

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State Attorney General Letitia James, who investigated the allegations against Cuomo, dropped out after a short-lived bid and opted to instead run for reelection.

In 2013, de Blasio became the first Democrat to serve as New York City mayor since 1993 in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 7 to 1. He came into office with a liberal agenda but struggled with unsparing and mocking tabloid headlines during his time running the nation’s largest city.

With inputs from the Associated Press