Democrats Mock Bill de Blasio’s Plans to Run for NY Governor: ‘Osama bin Laden Is Probably More Popular’

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is being mocked over his reported plans to run for governor of New York.

“Osama bin Laden is probably more popular in Suffolk County than Bill de Blasio,” Rich Schaffer, chairman of the county’s Democratic committee, told the New York Times. “De Blasio, I would say, would have zero support if not negative out here.”

Additionally, former Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) of Harlem told the newspaper that he didn’t want to “get involved in anything that would be negative,” he could not conjured up “anything positive” about a potential De Blasio bid.

On Wednesday, the Times first reported that De Blasio is privately telling people that he plans to mount a bid for governor of New York in 2022, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter:

Mr. de Blasio, who has been a polarizing figure during his two terms in office, has also sounded out trusted former aides about their interest in working on a potential campaign, according to two people who are familiar with those contacts, and has made other overtures to labor leaders about a possible bid. His longtime pollster conducted a private survey to assess Mr. de Blasio’s appeal beyond New York City.

In September, Politico reported that De Blasio had “phoned several labor leaders in recent days to gauge support,” according to a union affiliate with knowledge of the situation.

“He’s letting the leaders know that he’s considering running for governor,” the source said in an interview with Politico.

When asked about a possible campaign during a recent interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, De Blasio replied: “I want to keep serving in one way or another in the future.

“I believe in public service. I’ve done it my whole life. I want to keep working on crucial issues and causes,” he added. “I want to keep serving in one way or another in the future, so I’m going to look at different options. Absolutely.”

Meanwhile, New York City’s Department of Investigation report released Thursday accused De Blasio of treating New York Police Department-provided security akin to “concierge service” for members of his family.

ABC News notes: “The investigative report by the city’s anti-corruption watchdog also accused the mayor of failing to reimburse the more than $300,000 his security detail spent on travel outside New York City during de Blasio’s unsuccessful 2020 run for president.”

“Protecting the mayor and his family is a serious and significant job that should be guided by best practices, formalized procedures, and an understanding that security details are not personal assistants in a dignitary’s daily life but provide essential protection,” DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said in a statement.

De Blasio weighed in on report hours after it was published during a press conference.

“There’s a number of claims in this report and there’s many, many inconsistencies and inaccuracies,” the mayor said. “Look, I’m honored to be the Mayor of the city, but my first responsibility was as a father and a husband. And so, I think of the safety of my family all the time. The ultimate decisions when it comes to safety must be made by security experts. The ultimate decisions on how to align security, how to protect those chosen by the people to lead need to be made by the NYPD.”