keeping it in the family
Bill de Blasio has a new policy analyst on his campaign team — his son
Democratic presidential candidate and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is still struggling mightily in the polls, even after what many considered to be a surprisingly adequate primary debate performance. Now, the mayor is turning to his family to help give him the boost he needs.
De Blasio's son Dante is officially joining his father's campaign, The New York Times reported on Friday. This isn't some stunt, either. The younger de Blasio, who just graduated from Yale University with a degree in political science, will get paid for his work as a policy analyst and report to his father's campaign manager, Jon Paul Lupo.
Say what you will about nepotism, but it does appear that Dante is well-equipped to work on a campaign, what with his academic background, op-ed writing history, and personal experience in the political realm — even if his father isn't the most beloved figure in New York City, it's still a high-profile job. He has even earned some credit for giving some life to his dad's "middling" mayoral campaign when he appeared in an advertisement at age 15. "We've been through elections before as a family, and we know how difficult they can be," Dante said.
Who knows if the younger de Blasio will make any difference this time around, but so long as he and his father stay away from the staged text messaging route, it probably won't hurt. Anyway, there's nowhere to go but up. Read more at The New York Times.