Supporters of and donors to failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have floated a new and unexpected next job for the former secretary of State: mayor of New York City.
Clinton has maintained a low profile since her unsuccessful bid for the White House, appearing only sparingly at public events. But some supporters are suggesting that she consider a run against current New York City Mayor and fellow Democrat Bill de Blasio, according to the New York Times.
The prospect has an obvious, novelistic allure: A run for mayor of New York this year would pit Mrs. Clinton against Mayor Bill de Blasio, a fellow Democrat who managed her Senate campaign in 2000, and, should she win, would put her in charge of President-elect Donald J. Trump's hometown, ensuring years of potential clashes between bitter rivals.
The question has gained momentum in the weeks since Mrs. Clinton lost to Mr. Trump, a Republican. It began quietly at first, then grew louder among the conservative media outlets and pundits who hold her and Mr. de Blasio in disdain.
De Blasio has had his share of struggles during his first term as mayor, with a recent Quinnipiac poll showing that only 39 percent of New York City voters believe he deserves to be reelected.
During the 2016 Democratic presidential primary in New York, Clinton handily defeated her opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) by 26 points in the city boroughs.
The Times report makes clear that a mayoral bid for Clinton, a former senator from New York, remains highly unlikely, but that has not stopped speculation from spreading within New York and Washington political circles.
"I heard it three times in the two days I was on the Hill," Bradley Tusk said of rumors about a potential Clinton mayoral run. Tusk was a former aide to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and has been working to find a suitable challenger to de Blasio.
But Tusk acknowledged that he sees it as unlikely, if not improbable, that Clinton would actually pursue a bid.
"The reality is that she's not going to and all it does is further delay the thinking and plans of people who actually could run and win," Tusk said.
Clinton previously had been encouraged by Bloomberg to run in 2013 to succeed him as mayor of the nation's biggest city, a suggestion that she dismissed at the time.