New York City First Lady to Candidate? ‘I Could Do This,’ She Says

NEW YORK — Hours before she was to depart for Puerto Rico for a humanitarian mental-health initiative, Chirlane McCray, the first lady of New York City, stoked speculation on Tuesday that her future plans included a run for elected office.

At times bashful, sincere and carefree, McCray, appearing at a news conference about her trip, fielded questions on her public role and political future — her most decisive step yet in a subtle but increasingly obvious effort to increase her profile and test the waters for a run for office.

“He is very encouraging,” she said when asked if her husband, Mayor Bill de Blasio, supported a run. “But we have not had a specific conversation about any particular office or anything imminent.”

McCray’s comments followed separate interviews with NY1 and The New York Times on Monday, in which she discussed her thinking about becoming a political candidate, all while not quite ruling out mounting a run while her husband is still in office.

“As we live and grow, I feel like, my goodness, I am actually capable; I could do this,” she said Monday. She said she would not run for mayor and has “no intention, at this moment,” of running for office until de Blasio leaves City Hall in 2021. She appeared to be considering everything from Brooklyn borough president to public advocate to state representative.

“It could be something in Albany, it could be Brooklyn, local, citywide, I don’t know,” she said. “But certainly I would consider it.”

She said much the same thing during Tuesday’s news conference. She had not had “formal conversations” with political strategists about a run, laughed off a question about what role de Blasio would play in her hypothetical life as an elected official — “I don’t think I should answer that question,” she said, smiling — and engaged in lighthearted exchanges with reporters.

“I’ll tell you one thing: It’s giving me more practice,” she said of taking questions on subjects other than the one she was there to address: an effort to help with mental health services in Puerto Rico.

Indeed, her public profile has grown along with ThriveNYC, the mental health initiative she oversees on behalf of de Blasio.

McCray announced Tuesday that a 12-person team from the city would spend two weeks training school staff on the island to address mental health issues. The nonprofit Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, which she leads, would also provide a grant of $100,000 for mental health services on the island.

The Mayor’s Fund portion came from donations pledged by city employees for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico, via automatic payroll deductions, as well as from individual donations through the fund’s website, according to Kate Bernyk, a spokeswoman for McCray.

McCray was to return to New York early Thursday. The mayor’s office said the flights were paid for by JetBlue and the rest of the trip’s $2,500 cost — for her, Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio and six staff members — would be borne by the city. (That did not include McCray’s police detail; City Hall refused to provide the number of officers traveling with her or their cost.)

Many New Yorkers have roots and relatives in Puerto Rico and are an important voting bloc in many communities. Asked whether her trip had anything to do with her possible political ambition, McCray demurred.

“Oh my goodness, that is the last thing on my mind,” she said. “It is only natural that we would want to deliver humanitarian resources,” she added. “Seriously, it never, never crossed my mind.”