New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision to drop out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination won't make any difference, as he was never really in the race, ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Friday.
"He is a terrible mayor," Gingrich said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends."
He is "repudiated by the police; the school system is a disaster. It is good for America that he is gone."
De Blasio's poll ratings remained low through his short-lived presidential candidacy, as have those of several other Democratic contenders, and Gingrich said many stay in because they hold out hope for a sudden rise in rankings.
"When you go back and look at say the rise of John Kerry, which was very, very sudden, or the rise of George McGovern, you can see hope springs eternal, but the truth is, Democrats always had too many candidates," said Gingrich. "The weaker half of those candidates, which is about 10 people, have no practical hope of rising."
In addition, given the rules Democrats have set for the debate stage, candidates who fail to meet the donation and poll guidelines are not allowed to participate, meaning that in this current political climate, their campaigns are over, said Gingrich.
"So there are a number of other people," he said. "My guess is they will drop out. They're not going to stick it out. You're really down to four or five real candidates who have a realistic chance of winning the nomination."
Fox News Correspondent Geraldo Rivera, also appearing in the segment, said de Blasio has done a "mediocre job" as mayor of New York City.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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