Bill de Blasio, the Democratic mayor of New York City, backed Hillary Clinton Friday after weeks of flirting with a possible endorsement.
“I have seen her vision and platform develop over the past 5 months,” de Blasio said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I’m extremely pleased with what she’s put on the table.”
VIDEO: @BilldeBlasio endorses @HillaryClinton for President https://t.co/eeu3Q917y2
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) October 30, 2015
De Blasio said Clinton has championed issues such as income equality and paid family leave, policies that have played prominently in the Democratic primary.
The Democratic mayor dismissed concerns over Clinton’s tendency to “flip-flop,” and argued that it “took some real courage” for the former secretary of state to come out against the president’s trade agreement after calling it the “gold standard.”
“She has said what she believes in. This is a very sharp progressive platform,” de Blasio said. “She has the ability to follow through on it.”
De Blasio managed Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign in New York and has been positioning himself to support her presidential bid over the past few weeks. He vowed to help Clinton by campaigning for her around the country.
He declined to criticize Clinton’s Democratic opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and instead praised the Vermont senator for injecting more progressivism into the race.
“Bernie Sanders has moved the discussion in this country in a very productive way,” de Blasio said.
