As we get closer to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, some focus is beginning to shift on what might be the follow-up act for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Though it’s still considered a long shot, the buzz has officially reached heightened levels with some Clinton advocates, and even one prominent adversary, urging her to consider a run for mayor of New York City.
The press campaign went into full swing on Friday, when the New York Post, a right-leaning tabloid that opposed Clinton during the 2016 presidential election, officially urged her to run. While noting their past opposition, the paper’s editorial board declared:
“She’d be dead-center in the city’s Democratic majority. Progressive, but not obsessed with proving it — nor with trying to use the mayoralty to become a national leader. Passionate for social justice, but not an ideologue who’ll stick by homeless or affordable-housing policies that are clearly failing.”
However, to do so she’d had to challenge incumbent and fellow Democrat Bill de Blasio, who is widely expected to seek reelection. The two aren’t particularly close but it would create no shortage of drama for Hillary to challenge a sitting Democrat.
That said, the world’s most powerful city has never had a female mayor before. And if she can’t crack the glass ceiling of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, her adopted home of NYC might not be a bad consolation prize.
The Post followed up its own endorsement with an article noting that many local Democrats would quickly jump off the de Blasio wagon to support Hillary if she made a run. However, a close Clinton ally, Neera Tanden, told CNN that she doesn’t expect Clinton to ever run for elected office again.
“I think she’s going to figure out ways to help kids and families. That’s been what she’s been focused on her whole life, and a lot of issues that are affecting them, over the next couple of years,” Tanden said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Still, there’s been no official denial from Team Clinton, which in politics is all but an open invitation to let the speculation continue.
