New York Suburb Seeks to Host Hillary Clinton 2016 Campaign
TIME Politics New York Suburb Seeks to Host Hillary Clinton 2016 Campaign Spencer PlattGetty Images Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the Cookstoves Future Summit on November 21, 2014 in New York City. Westchester notables are lobbying Clinton for a suburban headquarters if she runs for president
Local luminaries in a suburb of New York City are calling on Hillary Clinton to place her campaign headquarters in White Plainsa small city close to Clintons home in Westchester Countydespite the draw of the nearby metropolis.
At least one Congresswoman and a major real-estate developer are lobbying Clinton to place her headquarters in Westchester if she runs for president, aiming for the prestige and economic benefits of a large operation. A Clinton campaign would be good for Westchester, and a Clinton Presidency would be great for America, said Congresswoman Nita Lowey, the Democratic representative for much of the county. Lowey has encouraged Clinton directly to place her headquarters in the county if she runs.
Half an hour from Manhattan by train, prosaic White Plains is as functional a campaign headquarters as a pair of Crocs and about as chic. A suburb with plentiful office parks, PepsiCos headquarters and 50,000 residents, the Democratic-leaning New York satellite is also squarely in Hillary heartland. The Clintons have had a home in Chappaqua, a hamlet 15 minutes away, since 1999, and White Plains is within striking distance of the presumptive candidates power base in New York City. Clinton aides hinted last year White Plains is a strong option for a possible headquarters.
But recent lobbying efforts by businesses and local politicians may not be enough to keep Clinton close to home, as the presumptive 2016 candidate reportedly weighs a New York City campaign headquarters. New York is home to a large cadre of Clinton allies and devoted young Democrats that could make up her staff.
Where a candidate decides to locate their headquarters can have an outsized influence on the tenor of a campaign. Obamas decision in 2007 to base his campaign headquarters in Chicago made him a more credible Beltway outsider and may have kept his campaign grounded by keeping it far from the New York and D.C. media bubbles. Clinton and John McCain, on the other hand, both had headquarters in the D.C. suburbs during the 2008 campaign.
Robert Weisz, the CEO of the largest privately-held property owner in Westchester, said he has reached out to Clintons staff, aiming to lease his properties to potential campaign. A Democrat and past Clinton donor, Weisz owns 2.5 million square feet of real estate in the county and plenty of contiguous office space large enough to host a presidential campaign.
During Clintons 2008 bid for president, Weisz hosted an 800-person Clinton event on his property on 1133 Westchester Avenue, a commercial space in White Plains. Now hes among the local real estate firms that are keen on bringing a Clinton campaign to the New York suburb. We reached out to her staff for several reasons: one to rent space, and one to be helpful to her possible campaign, Weisz said.
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, the Republican nominee in New Yorks gubernatorial election last year, said he hasnt reached out to Clinton directly to ask her to move her headquarters to the county, but that he likely will. I would love for her to set up shop here, Astorino said.
White Plains has the advantage of relatively cheap office space, compared to New York City. The current average annual rent price per square foot of office space in White Plains is around $25, compared with around $60 in Manhattan and $30-$35 in Brooklyn, according to a 2013 report. That can add up. President Obamas 2012 headquarters occupied 50,000 square feet in Chicagos Prudential building, where rents averaged $22-$25 per square foot annually.
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New York Suburb Seeks to Host Hillary Clinton 2016 Campaign