Running for Congress seat in city’s newly created District 10, former mayor says pro-Israel lobby has undergone ‘unacceptable’ change, will not accept endorsement if offered

By TOI staff 28 June 2022, 4:59 am

Former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said he no longer supports the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and would not accept the pro-Israel lobby’s endorsement, if offered, in his run for a Congress seat in the city’s newly created District 10.

The district stretches from de Blasio’s home in Park Slope to Lower Manhattan and includes a chunk of Borough Park with its large ultra-Orthodox Jewish population.

According to a report Monday in the New York Jewish Week, de Blasio said AIPAC has changed in a way he found “unacceptable,” and indicated that he was not seeking the organization’s endorsement.

The former NYC mayor made the comments during a virtual candidate forum last week on AIPAC campaign spending. Asked if he supports the organization, de Blasio said, “No, I don’t,” according to the report.

“I am not seeking their endorsement and would not accept it even if it were offered,” he added.