NYC’s mayor de Blasio endorses Hillary Clinton for president

NEW YORK — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed Mrs Hillary Clinton for president after months of hesitation while organising his own coalition to back progressive causes.

“The candidate who I believe can fundamentally address income inequality effectively and has the right vision and the right experience and the ability to get the job done is Hillary Clinton,” Mr de Blasio told TV host Joe Scarborough today (Oct 30) during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “We’ve never had a president more experienced in foreign policy,” he said of the former secretary of state.

The mayor was Mrs Clinton’s campaign manager in 2000 when she won election to the US Senate from New York. He worked in former President Bill Clinton’s administration as regional director at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1997.

Yet, as the presidential campaign unfolded, Mr de Blasio withheld any endorsement of a candidate as he travelled the US advocating taxing the wealthy, boosts in the minimum wage, trade laws that protect American workers and government investments in infrastructure to create jobs.

Mr de Blasio described Mrs Clinton as “the candidate who I believe can fundamentally address income inequality effectively and has the right vision and the right experience.” He said “I saw her take on the insurance companies” in 1993 when as first lady she devised a health-care program that failed to gain enough support in Congress. BLOOMBERG