NYC's Quinn Launches Bid to Become 1st Openly Gay Mayor

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn officially launched her bid to succeed Michael Bloomberg as mayor today, in a quest that, if successful, would see her installed as the Big Apple's first openly gay mayor. Quinn's campaign launched with what the New York Times calls a "glossy autobiographical video" that seeks to capitalize on her "outsize, off-the-cuff personality." Quinn is embarking on a walking tour of all five boroughs today, telling New Yorkers to "put those sensible shoes on." "It's a great way to hear directly from New Yorkers," she says in the video, "so I can make sure when I’m mayor, my focus is their focus.”

Speaking of her mother's death from breast cancer, Quinn says, that the experience "left me with the belief that our obligation is to use every moment we have on this Earth to make it a better place, to make sure nobody is left behind because they might need a little more help." Quinn is considered a leading contender among Democrats eying the job, and she's a close ally of Bloomberg. She married longtime partner Kim Catullo last year. (More Christine Quinn stories.)