Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), proclaiming himself  “somewhat of an expert” in being “unpopular,” has declared his candidacy for New York’s tenth congressional district.

De Blasio announced his candidacy in an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Friday. 

“Joe, the polls shows people are hurting, they need help, they need help fast, and they need leaders who can actually get them help now and know how to do that,” de Blasio said. “I do know how to do it from years of serving people of this city, and so today, I am declaring my candidacy for congress in the tenth congressional district of New York.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) speaks to the media after a closed-door transcribed interview with Geoffrey Berman, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York at Rayburn House Office Building July 9, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty)

De Blasio is running to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in the district, which was recently “redrawn under the supervision of a New York judge,” the Associated Press (AP) reported. If the newly redrawn districts are approved Friday, it could set up a potential showdown between Nadler and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in the 12th Congressional District, where Maloney currently serves. Both representatives have been in Congress for almost 30 years. 

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney(D-NY), Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, speaks in Union Square as part of a National Day of Action in support of the United States Postal Service, its mission, and postal carriers throughout the country on August 18, 2020 in New York. (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty)

De Blasio admitted in a recent Atlantic op-ed that he was an “unpopular” politician and made his “fair share of mistakes.” 

“And when it comes to being unpopular, I’m unfortunately somewhat of an expert. I made my fair share of mistakes,” the former mayor wrote. 

“In 2017, I won my second term with two-thirds of the general-election vote. But by last year my popularity had tanked,” de Blasio wrote later in the piece. “Why? I failed to give New Yorkers a clear sense of where I was taking them. I lost my connection with the people because I mistook real policy for real popularity.” 

As Breitbart News reported, before de Blasio’s second term expired as mayor, he contemplated a run for governor of New York but failed to garner support for his potential candidacy, polling at an abysmal five percent below four other candidates in November of last year. In January he announced that he would not run for governor. 

During his tenure as mayor, de Blasio vowed to cut funding for the New York City Police Department amid the unrest of the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, despite violent crime rates soaring at the time. De Blasio also faced criticism for his implementation of vaccine mandates during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.