People are still praising Bill de Blasio's debate performance. Voters don’t seem to care.


Some of the standouts from the first round of the Democratic primary debates — namely Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and former Housing Secretary Julián Castro — have seen some significant jumps in early polls. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who many considered to be a pleasant surprise during the debate, hasn't been so fortunate.
De Blasio's decision to run for president was met with eye-rolls and sighs, especially among his New York constituents — "disdain for de Blasio seems to unite New Yorkers from across the political spectrum," writes Reihan Salam in The Atlantic — but the mayor showed up in Miami ready to roll and the response from pundits wasn't half bad.
Chris Matthews called him a surprising "heavyweight." Meanwhile, Joe Scarborough dubbed him a "street fighter" and Vox declared him one of the night's four winners. In the same Atlantic article, Salam admits that de Blasio "distinguished himself with eagerness to interrupt his fellow presidential aspirants and to stake out the most leftward position available on any given issue." For example, on the first night of the debates, only Warren and de Blasio raised their hands when the candidates were asked if they would give up their private insurance for a government-run plan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, none of this means de Blasio has any "staying power," Salam notes. Indeed, just one week after the debate, a Quinnipiac poll surveyed 554 voters. How many of them voted for the seemingly upstart mayor? Zilch. De Blasio was similarly bereft of support in a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, but did manage to hit the 1 percent threshold in an Economist/YouGov tally. Progress?
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Film reviews: The Phoenician Scheme, Bring Her Back, and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Feature A despised mogul seeks a fresh triumph, orphaned siblings land with a nightmare foster mother, and a Jane fan finds herself in a love triangle
-
Music reviews: Tune-Yards and PinkPantheress
Feature "Better Dreaming" and "Fancy That"
-
Withdrawing 529 plan funds for college? Here's what to know.
the explainer Maximize the amount you have stashed away for your education
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs