NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio hinted Friday he’s considering a run for governor next year after weeks of sidestepping questions about what he plans to do once his term in City Hall ends this December.
During an appearance on MSNBC Friday morning, de Blasio said he is “absolutely” thinking about “different options” when asked point-blank if he’s mulling a gubernatorial bid.
“I want to keep serving in one way or another in the future. So I’m going to look at different options. Absolutely,” he said.
In recent days, de Blasio has heaped praise on the current governor, Kathy Hochul, after he spent years feuding with her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, who left Albany in disgrace after a string of sexual harassment allegations culminated in a damning report issued by state Attorney General Letitia James last month.
As Cuomo was imploding, de Blasio typically brushed aside queries about a possible run. That changed Friday, though de Blasio sought to downplay the possibility he might run given recent flooding that left more than a dozen New Yorkers dead and the city’s continued focus on its COVID-19 recovery.
“I’m collaborating and working with Gov. Hochul as we address this crisis, and we’ve been talking constantly, and I know we’re going to be able to work together to serve New Yorkers. We respect each other, like each other,” de Blasio said. “The politics, that’s next year. That’s a whole other world.”
But with January and the end of de Blasio’s term fast approaching, that political world may soon collide with de Blasio’s future ambitions.
“I believe in public service. I’ve done it my whole life. I want to keep working on crucial issues and causes, particularly things like education for our kids. We still have a long way to go on that. These are the kinds of things I’m going to devote myself to,” de Blasio said. “So we’ll see what the future brings.”
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