like other democrats, new york city mayor bill de blasio was surprised and angry when donald trump won the presidential election last week. but, now, the mayor<u+2019>s supporters are seeing mr. trump<u+2019>s victory more as a positive for mr. de blasio<u+2019>s 2017 re-election bid and hope to exploit it. the change in the political landscape already has started to reshape next year<u+2019>s race for city hall, with some democrats wondering whether there is room now for a bitter intraparty fight and others questioning whether a conservative could mount a formidable challenge. people close to the mayor said the republican president-elect is a perfect foil for mr. de blasio because of mr. trump<u+2019>s unpopularity in the city and the men<u+2019>s policy differences on many issues, such as immigration and policing, areas that are important to the mayor<u+2019>s liberal base. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re going to stand up for the needs of working people. we<u+2019>re going to stand up for our immigrant brothers and sisters,<u+201d> mr. de blasio said wednesday after a 62-minute meeting with the president-elect at trump tower. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re going to stand up for anyone who because of any policy is excluded or affronted.<u+201d> mr. de blasio said he told mr. trump that <u+201c>so many new yorkers are fearful<u+201d> of his presidency. a spokeswoman for mr. trump didn<u+2019>t respond to a request for comment. mr. trump has called mr. de blasio <u+201c>the worst mayor in the u.s.<u+201d> in the five boroughs, democratic presidential nominee hillary clinton won about 2 million votes, compared with 460,000 for mr. trump. one person close to mr. de blasio described mr. trump as <u+201c>our perfect opponent.<u+201d> a number of the mayor<u+2019>s critics have quieted down of late. lobbyists and political observers said they have heard less chatter about potential challengers to mr. de blasio. the mayor is looking for opportunities to talk about mr. trump, planning a speech for monday. mr. de blasio plans to attend a number of events with immigrants, including a gala wednesday night, and has already met with leaders of minority and religious communities at city hall. christina greer, an associate professor of political science at fordham university, said mr. trump <u+201c>gives the mayor a chance to double down on his progressive bona fides.<u+201d> <u+201c>not only is he a leader but he<u+2019>s going to stand up to a bully,<u+201d> she said. mr. de blasio, whose approval rating climbed to 47% in a quinnipiac university poll released wednesday, is trying to deter other democrats from challenging him. he has called unions, looking for early endorsements, and is beginning to ramp up campaign events. the mayor<u+2019>s aides said they hope that the fear of mr. trump in the white house reduces the appetite for an intraparty squabble and that mr. de blasio<u+2019>s weaknesses will be seen as far less severe compared with mr. trump. while the quinnipiac poll shows mr. de blasio defeating other democrats in a multicandidate field, 49% of registered voters said they believe the mayor doesn<u+2019>t deserve to be re-elected. <u+201c>the idea that trump is the goose that laid the golden egg for de blasio<u+2019>s re-election is probably not realistic. any goodwill de blasio receives as a result is likely temporary,<u+201d> said patrick muncie, a strategist for new york city deserves better, a group opposed to mr. de blasio<u+2019>s re-election. unless mr. trump<u+2019>s policies directly affect new yorkers, mr. muncie said, it is unlikely the 2017 mayoral race will be a referendum on mr. trump. among mr. de blasio<u+2019>s potential opponents, there seems to be even more uncertainty fueled by mr. trump<u+2019>s win. city comptroller scott stringer, a democrat, has told people that his decision on whether to enter the race rests more on what federal and state investigations into mr. de blasio<u+2019>s fundraising uncover. nobody has been charged with wrongdoing, and mr. de blasio has said he has followed all laws. a spokesman for mr. stringer declined to comment on how mr. trump<u+2019>s victory affects a potential mayoral bid. mr. stringer polled among the lowest of the would-be competitors in the quinnipiac poll. u.s. rep. hakeem jeffries, a democrat who represents portions of brooklyn and queens, is also considered a potential mayoral candidate. he said mr. trump win hadn<u+2019>t <u+201c>significantly<u+201d> changed his thinking on whether to run. he has said he is unlikely to enter the race but hasn<u+2019>t ruled it out. <u+201c>we were all expecting to attend a wedding,<u+201d> he said, referring to mrs. clinton<u+2019>s expected win, <u+201c>and instead we are going to a funeral.<u+201d> write to josh dawsey at joshua.dawsey@dowjones.com and mara gay at mara.gay@wsj.com
de blasio sees upside to trump win - wsj
josh dawsey mara gay