New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has yet to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, but he says he does not encourage Vice President Joe Biden to make a 2016 run.
"Joe Biden is a great human being," de Blasio said in a television
interview with NY1’s Errol Louis on Thursday night. "I think he’s done extraordinary things for this nation."
However, "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,” de Blasio said. “I don’t think we need additional candidates.”
The mayor's announcement came as the Vice President was visiting New York City, otherwise known as "Clinton Country," to support Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a pep rally at the Javits Convention Center to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour statewide.
And, although raising the minimum wage is one of de Blasio's top priorities, the New York Times notes that the mayor was not included in the pep rally, nor did they have any time scheduled to meet during the vice president's visit.
Biden has been dancing around the idea of a third party presidential bid, especially as Clinton's poll numbers
continue to slide.
On the
"Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Biden said, "I don’t think any man or woman should run for president unless they can look at folks out there and say I promise you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy, and my passion.
“I’d be lying if I said that I knew I was there … I'm being completely honest. Nobody has a right in my view to seek that office unless they are willing to give it 110 percent of who they are.”
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.