She Didn’t Endorse Clinton. So Why is San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor on Her Endorsement List?

Is the campaign taking support from African-American public figures for granted?

By Rhonda FanningOctober 20, 2015 12:08 pm

In 2013, when Ivy Taylor – now the mayor of San Antonio – told council members she would oppose a sweeping non-discrimination ordinance there, the self-described Democrat was roundly criticized by many on the left.

Her response was telling: “I will not sacrifice my core values and beliefs for political gain,” she said. “And if that was the expectation for me as a black woman… you’ve got the wrong sister in this seat.”

Since that electric moment, few have dared to take Ivy Taylor’s endorsement of support, or lack thereof, as a given. Someone in Hillary Clinton’s camp did not get the memo.

The Clinton campaign recently released a list of Texas endorsees, which included Taylor. Peggy Fikac with the San Antonio Express-News says Taylor was surprised to find her name on the list.

“The mayor’s office quickly made it known that she was not endorsing Hillary Clinton in the run for president, emphasized that she holds a non-partisan office and she didn’t plan to take that sort of partisan stance,” Fikac says.

According to Fikac, Clinton and Taylor met during the candidate’s visit to San Antonio and that the mayor “spoke warmly and supportively of her effort,” although miscommunication occurred on whether Taylor was willing to “have her name used publicly” in support of Clinton.

Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert’s name was also on the candidate’s endorsement list of Texas Democrats in elected office, even though he has not officially endorsed Clinton.

Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.