And then there were 23: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced he is entering the Democratic presidential primary. (At this point, can you even say that all 23 candidates are genuinely running for president?)
“There’s plenty of money in this country, it’s just in the wrong hands,” de Blasio says in an announcement video (watch below), that goes on to call for “an agenda that puts working families first,” citing issues like a $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, guaranteed health care including mental health care, and free pre-K for all. De Blasio also emphasizes the ways his administration has confronted Donald Trump’s policies, including family separation and climate change. His wife, Chirlane McCray, is featured in the video—in a speaking role rather than adoring gaze of Beto O’Rourke’s wife in his announcement video.
With this announcement, de Blasio becomes the third person in the primary seeking to become the first mayor ever elected president.