New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that Vice President Joe Biden shouldn’t enter the 2016 presidential fray.
“Joe Biden is a great human being. I think he’s done extraordinary things for this nation, and I also have to say on a human level, I think we’ve all been grieving with him over these last weeks. I can only imagine what he and his family have been going through,” he told NY1 political anchor and CNN contributor Errol Louis.
“But if you’re talking about the state of the presidential race, I think it’s pretty straightforward. We have a very impressive group of Democratic candidates right now. I don’t think we need additional candidates. I think the candidates we have are really putting forth the issues, putting forth really bold solutions.”
De Blasio managed Hillary Clinton’s successful 2000 Senate campaign, but has yet to endorse the former secretary of state for the presidency. When Clinton kicked off her campaign on NYC’s Roosevelt Island in June, de Blasio was a notable no-show.
The mayor, whose political agenda lines up more with Bernie Sanders’ than it does Clinton’s, declined to endorse his former boss when he appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in April.
“I think like a lot of people in this country, I want to see a vision. And, again, that would be true of candidates on all levels. It’s time to see a clear, bold vision for progressive economic change,” de Blasio said.
Host Chuck Todd then asked: “So you’re technically not yet endorsing her?”
“No, not until I see — and, again, I would say this about any candidate — until I see an actual vision of where they want to go,” he said.
