Despite his victory in the New York Democratic primary, Bill de Blasio is not a populist

In the wake of his victory in the New York mayoral election’s Democratic primary earlier this month some commentators have labelled Bill de Blasio as ‘populist’, especially in light of his policies aimed at narrowing the gaps between rich and poor. Duncan McDonnell takes issue with the use of the common use of the term ‘populist’ in this way, arguing that true populists juxtapose the idea of “good” people with a “bad” set of elites, and wish to restore what they argue is the voice of the people by removing the checks, balances, structures and complexities of liberal democracy.