Mayor de Blasio is set to kick off his re-election campaign – two years before the 2017 city elections.
De Blasio is expected announce he is running for a second term as the mayor of New York City at a kick-off fundraiser at the Sheraton Times Square Thursday evening.
The mayor had already raised about $17,350 for the 2017 campaign as of July 1. By comparison, his elected compatriots in city offices have each amassed more than $100,000 in their 2017 war chests: Public Advocate Letitia James with $191,000, Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito $298,000, and City Comptroller Scott Springer leads the way, with a staggering $429,000.
But the mayor's team expects to rake in more than $1 million at Thursday's fundraiser, more than what the potential rivals have, combined, NBC 4 New York has learned.
Asked about kicking off his re-election bid 24 months before Election Day, de Blasio replied, "This is what has happened in public life, the need to stretch it out more and more."
It’s unclear if de Blasio will face a primary challenger. Only one other candidate, former Jets lineman and Harlem minister, the Rev. Michel Faulkner, has declared candidacy.
Charter schools leader Eva Moskowitz, thought by some to be a tough challenger, said she's not running.
