It’s not that she couldn’t make a credible run. Clinton is enormously popular among city voters, who came out for her in overwhelming numbers during two runs for US Senate and two more for president. The incumbent mayor, progressive Bill de Blasio, enters this election year with a razor-thin 51% approval rating, giving rise to the idea that he could be beaten by a fellow Democrat.
But as the common political expression goes, you can’t beat somebody with nobody, and only a handful of low-profile local officials have declared they will run against de Blasio.
In truth, it appears that the chatter about a Clinton candidacy started as a bit of mischief cooked up by right-wing publications like Newsmax and the New York Post, the latter of which published an editorial urging Clinton to run, while openly acknowledging its true agenda: to keep de Blasio from coasting to a second term unopposed (“He needs to be challenged, indeed needs to be replaced,” the paper said).
But it’s safe to assume that nobody in her right mind — certainly, nobody as familiar with the workings of government and politics as Clinton — would lightly take on the headaches of the nation’s largest city for such nakedly political reasons. And while Clinton isn’t likely to seek another shot at higher office, she’s surely aware that serving at City Hall has been a frustrating, career-ending feat for one promising politician after another.
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