NEW York Mayor Bill de Blasio is pulling out of the Democratic race for US President.
In an email to supporters he said, “I have reached a point where I feel I have contributed all I can to this primary.”
Observers say his campaign had failed to take off in a field of 20 Democrats seeking the party’s nomination to run for the White House.
De Blasio won a landslide victory in 2013 to become New York’s first Democratic mayor in a decade.
He implemented a programme of free universal pre-school education and made police wear body cameras in the most populous city in the US.
According to the BBC, De Blasio was rewarded for his efforts at the polls: re-elected in 2017 with more 66% of the vote.
Still, New Yorkers did not get behind their mayor’s presidential bid. A Quinnipiac poll from one month before he announced found that 76% of the city did not want him to run, the BBC reported.
Announcing his decision to leave the race, Mr de Blasio thanked supporters, describing his presidential campaign as a “profound experience”.
In a tweet full of sarcasm, US President Donald Trump said: “Oh, no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years! Part time mayor of New York @BilldeBlasio, who was polling at a solid ZERO but had tremendous room for growth, has shocking dropped out of the Presidential race. NYC is devastated, he’s coming home!”
