Hillary Clinton left open the possibility of running for mayor of New York City this year in a private conversation with a top Democrat, a well-placed source told the Daily News.
Clinton, who is being pressed by many New York Dems to get back into the game by running for mayor, did not rule out challenging current City Hall occupant Mayor de Blasio in that conversation, the source said.
Although de Blasio has close ties to the Clintons — having worked at different points in his career for both of them — their relationship frayed during the 2016 White House race, when he initially refused to endorse Hillary’s bid.
So far, no high-profile Democrat has jumped in to challenge de Blasio, whose term ends at the end of this year.
He won in a landslide in 2013, but his poll numbers have languished since, dragged down in large part because of numerous law enforcement probes into his fund-raising.
A run for mayor of New York — often described as the second hardest job in American politics — would put Clinton back on the global stage, but many in politics are skeptical that the former Secretary of State would ever jump back into the fray.
“It’d be sweet justice considering the way that de Blasio treated her (in the primary),” said one Democrat and Clinton loyalist.
“But it’s a political delusion.”
The source speculated the chatter about Clinton running is being fueled in part by pals of the former First Lady still stinging over de Blasio’s refusal to endorse her.
However, at least some of her inner circle appears to have put the campaign behind them.
Her 2016 campaign chair John Podesta and advisor Neera Tanden attended a de Blasio fund-raiser in Washington, D.C. Thursday.
If Clinton is mulling a run, she needs to make up her mind soon — the Democratic primary is just nine months away.
The Chappaqua, N.Y., resident — who struggled with using a MetroCard while campaigning in the city during the presidential primary earlier this year — will also have to leave the ‘burbs.
State law says City Hall candidates must live in the five boroughs by Election Day.
Kenneth Sherrill, professor emeritus of political science at Hunter College, doesn’t think it would be an easy race for her.
“She doesn’t really have a natural constituency,” he said.
“It is much easier to identify her with national and international issues than it is to identify her with urban local issues.”
Also, he said, “I cannot picture her at a subway stop at 7:30 in the morning (campaigning) for the next several months.”
But others think she’d be a shoe-in.
“She won New York City in a landslide last November, and she’d win in a landslide again,” said Bradley Tusk, a former deputy mayor to Michael Bloomberg who is leading an effort to unseat de Blasio, “NYC Deserves Better.”
“She’s wildly popular here, had a great tenure as senator from New York, and mayor is one of the few jobs worthy of her talents.”
That said, Tusk does not think she would run.
Reps for Clinton and de Blasio declined comment.
