Rep. Max Rose talks to voters. | Mary Altaffer / AP Photo
NEW YORK – Former Representative Max Rose will not be running for mayor of New York City this year.
The Staten Island Democrat bowed Sunday, a few weeks after opening an account with the city’s campaign finance council and announcing that he was investigating a mayoral bid.
“After serious consideration, I will not be running for mayor of New York this year,” he said in a statement Sunday.
Rose, a veteran of the Army, has set his sights on City Hall after losing his re-election to a second term in Congress, defeated by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican.
But he faced a vast field of competition and difficult election math: his base on Staten Island and south of Brooklyn had the lowest turnout in Democratic primary. And the moderate positions he has taken in Congress may have placed him in conflict with the major democratic voting blocs elsewhere in the city.
‘I appeal to every candidate to realize that no one in the five districts believes that the town hall is on the side of the working class. “People are scared and unsure whether the New York they love will still exist in the coming years,” Rose said. ‘The next mayor can not only balance the budget; he or she must draw up a social contract that leaves no one behind. The city of New York can set the reigning example for the rest of the world. ”
He gave few hints about his political future, but said he and his wife Leigh hope to adopt a baby this year. Their son, Miles, was born last spring.
“Although I will not be a candidate for mayor in this cycle, I am not going anywhere in the fight to keep our city and country their promise,” he said.
Rose lost the controversial congressional race in November after his opponent, Malliotakis, attacked him for attending a Black Lives Matter protest. Criticism of Mayor Bill de Blasio was also strong in the race, with Rose presentation of an advertisement which states in its entirety: “Bill de Blasio is the worst mayor in the history of New York. This is the whole ad. ”
With Rose out of the race, mayoral candidates include Attorney Maya Wiley, former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, City Inspector Scott Stringer, Brooklyn President Eric Adams, former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, City Councilor Carlos Menchaca, former veteran commissioner Loree Sutton, former nonprofit executive Dianne Morales, and former Citigroup vice president Ray McGuire.
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang has applied to run, and has been noticed filmed last week at venues in Brooklyn that could be an announcement video.