SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is telling Democrats in Iowa that he has not ruled out a run for president.

The Sioux City Journal reports that de Blasio told voters at a Sioux City bar on Saturday that the Democratic Party must return to its progressive roots.

He said working people will “answer the call of the Democratic Party” if they hear that the party is “resolute in defense of their interests.”

The prospect of a de Blasio White House run has not been warmly received in the mayor’s hometown.

Seven candidates attending a debate for New York City public advocate on Wednesday all said de Blasio was not qualified to run for president. Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Democrat from Queens, called de Blasio “completely delusional.”