5 Things Most New Yorkers Don't Know About Bill de Blasio

PolicyMic ^ | September 30, 2013 | Ramiro S. Fúnez

[YankeeReb]

New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio has captured the attention of both constituents and political rivals by campaigning against racial profiling by the police and being a vocal proponent of fiscal egalitarianism in the country's wealthiest city. However, there are several aspects of the City Hall hopeful’s personal life that remain unknown to many New Yorkers.

1. He's a Red Sox fan.

The New York Yankees have historically kept a tight grip on City Hall, claiming numerous mayors as tried-and-true pinstripes fans, but the mayoral candidate with strong chances of winning the seat confessed to being a devout Boston Red Sox fan earlier this year. Although de Blasio was born in Manhattan and spent an extensive amount of his academic and professional life in New York City, the son of Italian immigrants was raised in Cambridge, Mass. and continues to support his childhood team.

2. He has three different legal names.

Many politicians with high prospects of running for office take pride in name recognition and brand themselves by repetitively using a particular part of their name for marketing slogan. De Blasio, on the other hand, has changed his name three times, in a way that represents his personal and familial evolution. The mayoral hopeful was born Warren Wilhelm, Jr. in 1961, legally changed his name to Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm in 1983, and changed it again in 2002 to Bill de Blasio.

3. He supported democratic socialism as a young activist.

Most candidates who run for political posts in the post-Cold War United States avoid being associated with groups that promote alternative, non-traditional schools of political thought, but de Blasio has distinguished himself for his left-leaning outlook. The Democratic candidate, who distributed food and medical supplies to war victims for 10 days during the Nicaraguan Revolution, ...

[RightGeek]

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