De Blasio Backs Clinton as Iowa Forum Looms

Five months after Hillary Clinton announced her campaign for president, Mayor Bill de Blasio finally endorsed her on MSNBC Friday morning, saying she has proven her progressive bona fides.

“I have seen her vision and platform develop over five months, I'm extremely pleased with what she's put on the table,” said de Blasio.

De Blasio has long had a close relationship with Clinton — he managed her 2000 senate campaign. But instead of endorsing her immediately, he invited people to support a platform called the Progressive Agenda, which was designed to force presidential candidates to tackle the issue of income inequality. But many say that political calculation was a misfire and his endorsement was too little too late. 

“He hasn’t been elected to deal with our national policy agenda,” Rep. Charlie Rangel said about de Blasio. “He’s elected as mayor of the City of New York.

Rangel, dean of New York's congressional delegation, signed onto de Blasio's 14-point plan and stood there last spring as the mayor led a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.  After a recent event in the Bronx,  Rangel was asked what he thought about that plan now — he said de Blasio needs to refocus his priorities and concentrate on being mayor.

De Blasio’s endorsement came with little fanfare. He appeared alone on the television appearance. In an announcement, he was listed among the 85 other mayors backing her campaign. There hasn't even been a celebratory photo op.

The Progressive Agenda organization de Blasio championed is still scheduled to hold a bipartisan presidential forum at the University of Iowa on Dec. 6.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is considered a possible 2017 mayoral challenger, dubbed the event, “a town hall meeting in the cornfields of Iowa,” which he said was disconnected from the issues faced by people in New York City.

Jeffries said now that de Blasio has officially endorsed Clinton, he thinks it might be "complicated" for other Republican or Democratic candidates to attend the event.

“That would be a strange situation. Usually these forums and/or debates are conducted by neutral arbiters and when elected officials are involved, it's usually prior to weighing in to support a particular candidate,” said Jeffries.

De Blasio is still expected to attend the event, despite a recent poll that shows 56 percent of New Yorkers think it's a bad idea. In that same poll, 46 percent of voters said they disapproved of how de Blasio is handling his job as mayor.

Ester Fuchs, a professor at Columbia University, said de Blasio has fallen into a classic trap for New York City mayors. “They really crave a national platform,” said Fuchs pointing to the presidential run of former New York City Mayor John Lindsay. She added, “De Blasio is obviously not running for president, but he would like to have an impact on the national political agenda and on the global political agenda."

The upcoming Iowa forum could be an opportunity for de Blasio. Organizers say formal invitations are still scheduled to go out next week to the top five presidential candidates of both parties.

“I think if it’s a success, then he’ll rebound,” said Christina Greer, a professor at Fordham University. If it fails, and no candidates attend, Greer said de Blasio will be in an embarrassing situation.

“I think there’s egg on his face . . . you tried to be national, you’re not Michael Bloomberg and no one really cares about your opinion,” said Greer adding, “That's if the forum falls flat.”