New York City mayor Bill de Blasio drew a small crowd in Iowa this weekend while pitching his presidential campaign: just 15 people, according to the New York Post.
De Blasio was one of nearly two dozen candidates who visited Iowa this weekend to attend the Iowa State Fair. At an event hosted by Iowa state senator Rob Hogg (D.), de Blasio pitched himself with the slogan, "working people first."
"Here's the bottom line: We have a country that's favored the 1 percent now for literally 40 years," he said. "The rich have gotten richer. Everybody else has been pretty much treading water."
De Blasio met unenthusiastic response, the Post reported.
"He did not say anything that would sway me that he would be my choice as a candidate," 78-year-old retiree Carol Wickey said. "Nothing made him stand out among the other two dozen people."
De Blasio struggled to attract support from voters, even before he launched his campaign. The mayor attracted a crowd of only 20 people at a New Hampshire event in March. At the time, de Blasio aides told him that a presidential bid would be "f—ing insane," according to Politico.
When de Blasio announced his candidacy in May, protesters outside the ABC's Good Morning America studios chanted, "Can't run the city! Can't run the country!" while the mayor discussed his accomplishments with host George Stephanopoulos inside. During the interview, Stephanopoulos noted that a poll showed 75 percent of New Yorkers do not want De Blasio running for president.
"The poll that actually matters is the election," de Blasio responded. "It's not where you start, it's where you end."
De Blasio has yet to break one percent in any national poll and has not yet qualified for the third Democratic primary debate, which will take place in September.