De Blasio, at Democratic debate, calls for 'bold' solutions to address income inequality

Presidential candidate New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, left, said the Democratic Party should be "strong, bold and progressive." (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Democrat presidential candidates agree -- income inequality must be addressed through policy.

During Wednesday's debate, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said there is currently the "greatest gap" between the wealthy and the poor -- and he has a plan to address it.

"Raising wages, raising benefits" will help put money back in the hands of working people, he said.

He urged the Democratic Party to be "strong, bold and progressive," while stating the party as a whole should support a 70 percent tax rate on the wealthy, universal pre-K programs and breaking up big corporations.

Universal pre-K is a signature issue for de Blasio whose administration implemented the program in 2017.

"Within two years, every four-year-old in our city had access to it, saving working parents tens of thousands of dollars," he tweeted before the debate.

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Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney echoed de Blasio's call to help middle class Americans. "I think we need to do real things to help American workers and American people," he said.

He called for the doubling of the income tax credit to put "money in the pockets of workers," moving toward a living wage and fixing the public education system.