New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is “absolutely” remaining in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination even if he doesn’t qualify for the next debate, according to Politico.

“Oh yeah, I would absolutely say that,” he on Monday evening, when asked by NY1’s Inside City Hall host Errol Louis if he will stay in the race whether or not he qualifies for the third debate next month. “I’m going to look at all the pieces and look, again, six months until anyone votes.”

Politico asked the mayor the same question in an interview last week, but de Blasio declined by saying he doesn’t answer “hypotheticals.”

He added on Monday that despite his fundraising success following the debates in June, he doesn’t believe the debates will have a great impact on the nomination.

“When you really get out of the first days after the debates, the big strokes in this election so far — six months, seven months — have not been based on the debate performances,” de Blasio said.

“There’s still time on the clock and there’s more work to do. That’s the bottom line. And debates are only one part of the equation,” he added. “Let’s be clear, the debates are a fantastic opportunity to speak to 20 million or more people, but they’re also a flawed dynamic by definition.”

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