Will Hillary Clinton run for mayor of NYC?

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Speculation is growing that former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is being urged to run for New York City mayor.  Mayor Bill de Blasio faces reelection in the fall.

There are several reports that Democratic party members and disgruntled New Yorkers have encouraged Clinton to take on de Blasio.

On Thursday, the NY Times reported that former members of Clinton's staff have spread the speculation in private settings like closed-door gatherings of donors and allies and John Gizzi, White House correspondent for Newsmax, claims she is being urged by "major Democratic donors and leaders" to challenge de Blasio.

While some political insiders have emphatically ruled out a run for Clinton citing a myriad of reasons including her past reluctance to run to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the question continues to come up, particularly after her loss to President-elect Donald Trump.

“I heard it three times in the two days I was on the Hill,” Bradley Tusk, a former top aide to Mayor Bloomberg, told the Times.

Hillary Clinton remains popular in New York City.  She handily beat Donald Trump in the five boroughs in the presidential election. Clinton would join an already crowded field with at least nine announced candidates.

The relationship between Clinton and de Blasio has allegedly been icy ever since de Blasio was fired from his role as campaign manager to Clinton during her 2000 U.S. Senate bid. Hizzoner also initially refused to endorse Clinton for the Democratic nomination of Election 2016.

Spokesmen for both Clinton and de Blasio did not respond to requests for comment from the Times on the possibility of a mayoral face-off.