STATEN ISLAND — Mayor Bill de Blasio said he'll do whatever it takes to help Hillary Clinton win the Democratic nomination as he and wife Chirlane McCray head to Iowa Friday to campaign for Clinton ahead of the caucuses.
Asked what he would be doing for Clinton, de Blasio said he didn't know and that it didn't matter.
“That’s all in the hands of the Clinton campaign staff in Iowa. What I simply said to the campaign is that I want to help and serve in any way I can," de Blasio said at a press conference to announce the name of a new Staten Island ferry boat. "Knock on doors, make phone calls or rally the troops."
Even though he's the mayor of the largest city in the country, it's unclear how well de Blasio is known in Iowa or whether his presence will make a difference for Clinton who finds herself locked in a tight race with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"I have no idea," de Blasio said when asked whether Iowans know who he is.
The mayor has prior experience in Iowa as a paid advisor to John Edwards's presidential campaign in his prior career as a political operative. He also ran Clinton's 2000 campaign for Senate.
"I’m somebody who obviously used to do this work so I’m happy to do more than just going to a few speaking opportunities, but I’m sure I’ll do some of that, too," de Blasio said. "I think it’s more about I’m happy to go out there and roll up my sleeves and work in any way that’s helpful to the candidate."
Christina Greer, a professor of political science at Fordham University, said de Blasio's visit is to show how much support Clinton has from the Democratic establishment.
"I'm curious as to how many people in Iowa know who Bill de Blasio is. He's not Bloomberg, a billionaire and head of a media conglomerate," said Greer. "This is about force in numbers. This is Hillary Clinton's way of saying she has elite level support."
De Blasio has had a tortuous history with Clinton — and Iowa — over the past several months.
First, he questioned her liberal Democrat bona fides when he refused to endorse her last year because he wanted to hear a progressive vision from her.
Then De Blasio and McCray founded The Progressive Agenda Committee to force progressive issues such as paid sick leave into the national presidential debate.
They mayor traveled to Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin to discuss income inequality.
De Blasio finally endorsed Clinton after a Iowa forum his group was planning failed to attract any presidential candidates.
Since then he has been a Clinton supporter and defender in the media.
"The die-hard progressives understand that de Blasio is not left of Sanders. He's progressive lite compared to Sanders," Greer said. "Those who like Sanders and like his message will have to decide whether to vote sincerely for Sanders or strategically for Clinton because they believe she can beat a Republican in the general election."
The mayor said it's important to be involved in what he believes will be a "pivotal moment" for the city and the country.
"I would like to see the next president of the United States come from New York state and I would like that next president to be Hillary Rodham Clinton," he said. "I think it would be tremendous to have a president who understands our needs and will be someone we can work with so closely."
