Despite losing last November’s presidential election to Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton’s political career may not be over quite yet.
While the 69-year old former First Lady and ex-Secretary of State appeared to be easing into retirement following last year’s defeat, there are signs Mrs. Clinton is looking for a reboot.
Clinton, who may also be grooming her 36-year old daughter Chelsea for a congressional run, has been floated as a possible Democratic challenger to incumbent Bill de Blasio for this year’s New York City mayoral election.
The Clintons have maintained a residence in Chappaqua, a suburb north of New York City, since the 1990s, and Clinton served two terms as a US Senator for New York.
Over the past week, “Hillary for Mayor 2017” posters have begun popping up across the city, though it remains unclear whether Clinton or her surrogates are behind the advertisements, or if they are the work of hopeful Clinton supporters looking to nudge her into the race.
The Quinnipiac polling agency is taking the possibility of a Clinton run seriously, and in January surveyed New Yorkers regarding a potential primary challenge to de Blasio.
De Blasio currently has a 50% approval rating, with 42% of New Yorkers disapproving of his service as mayor. A slimmer plurality, 47% to 44%, believe he deserves reelection.
In head-to-head matchups, de Blasio also bests both his most likely GOP opponents in the general election, but also potential Democratic primary challengers – with one exception.
According to the poll, if Clinton ran in the NYC Democratic primary, she would beat de Blasio by 20 points, 49% to 29%.