STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Not everyone is a fan, though Mayor Bloomberg vows to help with the transition
- Biracial family of New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio influences his campaign
- Increasing visibility of de Blasio clan resonates with New Yorkers
(CNN) -- Throughout Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's campaign for New York's top political act, his backup band seemed to overshadow the headliner.
His son Dante, a sophomore at a
public high school in Brooklyn, appeared prominently in campaign ads, his
soaring Afro a topic of conversation in political circles. Daughter Chiara, a
college freshman, out-danced the rest of the telegenic family at the West Indian
Day Parade with a move they called "The Smackdown."
A virtual unknown nationally
despite 25 years in New York politics, de Blasio defied critics who questioned
whether his experience as a city councilman from Brooklyn and, most recently, as
public advocate -- a sort of civic watchdog -- sufficiently prepared him to run
the Big Apple. He also ran Hillary Clinton's first U.S. Senate campaign.
But his biracial family's
increasing visibility resonated with residents of a city coping with a 21%
poverty rate and increasing racial divisiveness brought on by the controversial
"stop-and-frisk" policy allowing police to search people in high-crime
areas.
New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio celebrates his victory
on Tuesday, November 5, with supporters and his children Dante, left, and
Chiara, second left, and his wife, Chirlane McCray, right.
De Blasio's wife of 19 years, Chirlane McCray, is his top
political confidante and chief strategist.
De Blasio's wife of 19 years, Chirlane McCray, is his top
political confidante and chief strategist.
Chiara de Blasio, 18, once called out Mayor Michael
Bloomberg for saying de Blasio was using his biracial family for political gain.
"Twenty years ago, my dad did not know he was running for mayor and did not seek
to marry a black woman to put on display," Chiara told a crowd of
reporters.
Chiara de Blasio, 18, once called out Mayor Michael
Bloomberg for saying de Blasio was using his biracial family for political gain.
"Twenty years ago, my dad did not know he was running for mayor and did not seek
to marry a black woman to put on display," Chiara told a crowd of
reporters.
Sixteen-year-old Dante de Blasio's 'fro-back hairstyle
launched a thousand hashtags, including #fromentum and #gowiththefro.
Sixteen-year-old Dante de Blasio's 'fro-back hairstyle
launched a thousand hashtags, including #fromentum and #gowiththefro.
De Blasio and McCray greet voters on the Upper West Side on
September 10 during the Democratic primary. De Blasio entered the primary with
10% support among voters.
De Blasio and McCray greet voters on the Upper West Side on
September 10 during the Democratic primary. De Blasio entered the primary with
10% support among voters.
De Blasio and Chiara greet supporters at his primary night
party in Brooklyn on September 11. He beat former U.S. House Rep. Anthony
Weiner, whose campaign imploded, and also Bloomberg favorite Christine Quinn. De
Blasio got more than 40% of the vote, thus avoiding a runoff.
De Blasio and Chiara greet supporters at his primary night
party in Brooklyn on September 11. He beat former U.S. House Rep. Anthony
Weiner, whose campaign imploded, and also Bloomberg favorite Christine Quinn. De
Blasio got more than 40% of the vote, thus avoiding a runoff.
De Blasio hugs Dante at his election night party. De
Blasio's family appeared frequently in his campaign ads, Dante saying in one,
"Bill de Blasio will be a mayor for every New Yorker, no matter where they live
or what they look like. And I'd say that even if he weren't my dad."
De Blasio hugs Dante at his election night party. De
Blasio's family appeared frequently in his campaign ads, Dante saying in one,
"Bill de Blasio will be a mayor for every New Yorker, no matter where they live
or what they look like. And I'd say that even if he weren't my dad."
De Blasio and his family address the crowd at his primary
night party on September 11. De Blasio has been the city's public advocate since
2010. He managed Hillary Clinton's first U.S. Senate bid in 2000 and served on
the City Council for eight years.
De Blasio and his family address the crowd at his primary
night party on September 11. De Blasio has been the city's public advocate since
2010. He managed Hillary Clinton's first U.S. Senate bid in 2000 and served on
the City Council for eight years.
New York City's first family
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Photos: New York
City's first family
"His family, just because of the
racial mix, represents a big and increasingly large part of the city and speaks
to certain sensibilities," said Harold Ickes, a veteran Democratic Party
operative who advised the campaign and has known de Blasio for two decades. "The
family is very important to Bill... From the outside, this family represents a
part of the city not represented in city government."
The de Blasio clan was featured
prominently in commercials and campaign events. Dante, 15, appeared in his own
ad over the summer that highlighted his father's stance against
"stop-and-frisk." Dante and his hair immediately became a social media sensation
-- and de Blasio began to surge in the polls.
In addition, Chirlane McCray, a
political activist who once identified herself as lesbian before marrying de
Blasio, emerged as a top campaign strategist.
DeBlasio, 52, portrayed himself
as the "unapologetically progressive alternative to the Bloomberg era," saying
that the current mayor's polices favor the rich. He repeatedly used the
Dickensian phrase "a tale of two cities" to describe New York City under
billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The wealth inequality message
appeared to have struck home with minority and low-income voters on Tuesday,
giving de Blasio an advantage over Republican candidate Joe Lhota among black
and Latino voters compared to white voters.
"The city is much more racially
mixed than when Bloomberg took office," Ickes said. "A lot of people having a
hard time economically are black, Hispanic and Asian and Bill spoke elegantly to
that."
De Blasio's critics accused him
of dividing the city along economic and racial lines, and credited
"stop-and-frisk" with a sharp crime reduction during Bloomberg's tenure.
Appearing on CNN's The Lead with
Jake Tapper on Wednesday, Bloomberg said he had a meeting with de Blasio and
vowed to help with the transition.
"Keep in mind, I have a big
vested interest in making Bill de Blasio an even better mayor than I was,"
Bloomberg said. "We built a lot. We've given them a lot to work with... But the
bottom line is, I'm going to live in New York City and I want Bill de Blasio's
administration to be successful and our administration to do everything to
transfer everything we've been doing over."
De Blasio, who has a bachelor's
degree from New York University and a master's in international and public
affairs from Columbia University, met McCray while working in the administration
of David Dinkins, the city's first black mayor.
When de Blasio delivered his
acceptance speech late on Election Day, he was surrounded, like most of the
campaign, by his family.
The strapping politician, the
first Democratic mayor in the largely-Democratic city in two decades, hugged son
and daughter and planted a firm kiss on the lips of his wife before going on to
thank the many people behind his triumph.
"The people I'm most grateful to
and most grateful for are standing next to me," he said amid cheers and
applause. "My partner in life, my best friend in the world: she is brilliant and
every bit as compassionate as she is tough, the love of my life Chirlane
McCray."
He added, "Of everything I have
to feel fortunate about, I am most lucky, most blessed to be the father of two
extraordinary children: Chiara and Dante. They make me proud every single day.
And, my fellow New Yorkers, they are very stylish."
De Blasio greeted his supporters
in both Spanish and Italian. McCray introduced him: "From our family to your
family, I give you the next mayor of New York City."
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