Brooklyn Congress Members Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clarke, along with Queens Congress member Gregory Meeks today endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for president.
The triple endorsement on the steps of City Hall came just hours before the first Democratic Presidential debate and fueled further speculation that Jeffries might challenge Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017.
“Hillary Clinton is exquisitely talented, highly qualified and has been a distinguished public servant for this country for almost four decades,” said Jeffries.
Jeffries said all the Democratic candidates were qualified, and that while he had tremendous respect for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, only Clinton has the broad appeal to win the presidency.
Clarke called Clinton a superbly qualified candidate to lead the country and that she had both the progressive values and the ability to connect with mainstream Democratic voters – both of which ends of the party that will be needed to win the presidency in an election year without an incumbent.
The three lawmakers said Clinton recently met with the Congressional Black Caucus and that they all felt that she was the best candidate to put forward their collective views on battling economic inequality, criminal justice reform, and a more progressive immigration policy.
Following the press conference announcement, things turned into city politics when reporters asked the lawmakers if they were surprised that de Blasio, who was Clinton’s campaign manager when she ran for Senate in New York, has yet to endorse the former First Lady. They also peppered the lawmakers with questions about de Blasio positioning himself to be the progressive kingmaker with his upcoming progressive presidential town hall meeting in Iowa.
“It’s not my place to determine his (de Blasio) time-table,” said Jeffries. “It’s not clear to me, however, that the town hall meeting in the farm fields of Iowa have anything to do the quality of life for everyday New Yorkers. We have income inequality here. We have an affordable housing crises here. We have a homeless crises here. Who am I to advise anyone else on how to conduct their politics.”
When pressed further, Jeffries reiterated his view that de Blasio was the first progressive New York mayor in 20 years, and it was his fondest wish that he will succeed.
Jeffries said his focus remained on representing his constituents in Congress and that he wasn’t planning to run for mayor, but didn’t rule out the possibility.
