Why Bill de Blasio's reported 2020 run isn't actually that absurd

Apparently we needed another Democrat to join the "polling at 1 percent" crowd.

Despite the wishes of his fellow YMCA-goers, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce a 2020 run next week, three sources tell the New York Daily News. The report sparked a lot of excellent questions about why the overflowing Democratic pool needs a 22nd member, let alone one who can't get his city's public transit system up to speed.

De Blasio has hinted at a 2020 campaign as his time leading New York comes to a close, even gathering 20-person-strong crowds when touring primary states. But if de Blasio's national showing looks bad, well, his hometown polling might be worse.

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But NBC News' Alex Seitz-Wald makes a good point. Despite his only political experience stemming from leading Indiana's fourth largest city, critics aren't declaring South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg a longshot anymore.

Then again, there are groundhog murder suspicions to bring down Buttigieg's presidential ambitions.