Former Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is reportedly mulling a return to active politics by running for mayor of New York City, it has been claimed. Rumors that Clinton could be considering a New York City mayoral run first emerged in January, weeks after her political career suffered a major setback when she was defeated in the November 2016 general election by the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
According to a report by the celebrity gossip website TMZ , Clinton attended a small gathering of close political associates and “politically connected people” in New York recently where she allegedly admitted that she was considering running for mayor of New York City. She reportedly indicated that she wanted her political allies and close associates to help gauge the level of public interest and support for a potential mayoral candidacy.
A person who reportedly attended the meeting confirmed to TMZ that Clinton was “talking to people in her close circle” about the prospects of running for mayor of the city. The source said that it was clear from Clinton’s comments at the meeting that she had not “ruled out” the possibility of running for mayor of New York and that she was “taking a real look at it.”
#IMWITHHER : Hillary Clinton Mulling Run for NYC Mayor – MRCTV (blog) https://t.co/52HihjDw7g #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/kOArUukgdg
— Hillary Clinton Fans (@fans_clinton) March 15, 2017
So, Hillary Clinton Is Thinking About Running for Mayor of New York City https://t.co/q2sVy1zwDW pic.twitter.com/Gl3EOXVZ27
— Marie Claire (@marieclaire) March 15, 2017
Report: Hillary Clinton Is Considering Running For Mayor Of New York City https://t.co/XtWmHHjgWK pic.twitter.com/CXvnIQPhSW
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 15, 2017
“Hillary says the people in the room were supportive of a run, and she said she was talking to people in her close circle to gauge the level of interest and support in a Clinton candidacy,” TMZ reports the source said.
But the source warned that Clinton’s plan to run for mayor is so far “just talk,” and that the former secretary of state has not made any concrete move to actualize the plan.
“Judging from the meeting, so far it’s just talk,” the source told TMZ .
New Yorkers Say ‘NO THANKS’ to Hillary Clinton for NYC Mayor https://t.co/ixICk4CpUx pic.twitter.com/Dgc1TDAYgn
— Downtrend.com (@ReaganCoalition) March 10, 2017
The latest report appears to corroborate rumors that have been swirling around in New York political circles since the beginning of the year that Clinton is planning to revive her political career by running for mayor of New York City after she lost to the Trump in November. Despite the persistent rumor, Clinton has not commented or spoken publicly about whether she actually plans to mount a challenge against the incumbent Bill de Blasio.
Don’t put away your pantsuit quite yet— @HillaryClinton *may* run for mayor of New York City: https://t.co/Uf6gI1720P pic.twitter.com/zExahSnHNQ
— Allure (@Allure_magazine) March 15, 2017
. @HillaryClinton *might* run for mayor of New York City: https://t.co/AYwh1Ba154 ??? pic.twitter.com/eE6K5qGLvS
— Marie Claire (@marieclaire) March 15, 2017
However, Breitbart noted that Neera Tanden, a top Clinton aide, has denied the rumors and chatter in New York political circles that the former secretary of state is considering running for mayor.
“I don’t expect her to run for this and I don’t expect her to run for other office,” Tanden told Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union .
“What she’s thinking about right now is how to help those kids and families as she has her whole life.”
But Breitbart also noted that despite denials by close Clinton aides, “Hillary for Mayor” signs are popping up around New York City.
However, a new Rasmussen poll could serve as a warning to Clinton and her political associates to reconsider the idea of a mayoral run. The Rasmussen poll of 1,000 likely voters around the country released last week was conducted through phone calls and online survey on March 2 and 5.
The poll found that a majority of likely voters do not want Clinton to run for mayor of the Big Apple.
@HillaryClinton ‘contemplating run for New York mayor’ https://t.co/fMpuEuY1Nt pic.twitter.com/hQBT8gmizq
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) March 16, 2017
About 58 percent of likely voters said they did not want her to run for mayor. Only 23 percent of respondents indicated that they wanted her to run. Nineteen percent of respondents said they were not sure.
Meanwhile, the incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the first Democratic politicians to publicly support Clinton’s failed bid for the White House, has confirmed that he plans to run for re-election as mayor in the upcoming mayoral election scheduled for November 7, 2017.
The Rasmussen poll found that he would beat other potential candidates, including Christine Quinn, former City Council speaker, Queens Senator Tony Avella and Scott Stringer, the city comptroller.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted earlier in January found that De Blasio would lose to Clinton in a head-to-head race by 49 to 30 percent. The poll found that he would lose to Clinton by 61 to 30 percent among Democrats but could defeat her among residents of Staten Island and among Republican voters.
[Featured Image by Greg Allen/AP Images]
