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Hillary Clinton Would Give Westchester A Rare Presidential Candidate

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. – Thirty four Presidential elections and 139 years have passed since Westchester produced a candidate for the country’s top seat, and the excitement is building in Chappaqua as one of its own, Hillary Clinton, is expected to announce her candidacy any day now.

George Haletzky has served Hillary Clinton at Lange's Little Store and calls her "low key."

George Haletzky has served Hillary Clinton at Lange's Little Store and calls her "low key."

Photo Credit: Brian Donnelly
Barbara Locke (left) of Katonah and Patti Loomis (right) of Briarcliff have coffee outside Sherry B Dessert Studio in downtown Chappaqua.

Barbara Locke (left) of Katonah and Patti Loomis (right) of Briarcliff have coffee outside Sherry B Dessert Studio in downtown Chappaqua.

Photo Credit: Brian Donnelly

The last candidate, other than Clinton in 2008, to hail from Westchester was Samuel Tilden of Yonkers, who won the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College to Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876.

Longtime Chappaqua residents Palma Patti and Denise Borgest remember when Clinton ran in 2008.

“I think people in Chappaqua will be very supportive,” Borgest said. “I think she got good experience being the first lady and secretary of state.  I think she can handle herself in times of crisis and when challenged.”

Clinton's tenure as secretary of state has come under fire with news that she used a personal email account instead of one provided by the government, raising concerns about the security of that information and whether she violated department rules.

While she turned over 55,000 work-related emails, she reportedly deleted 32,000 more that she deemed private. Additionally, she has refused to turn over her email server.

“If that's the worst thing they have on her, I'm good,” Patti said, moments after two black SUVs with tinted windows drove down King Street. Patti wondered if it was the Clintons and whether they had just come from Lange’s Little Store up the street.

“I think she will throw her hat in the ring,” said George Haletzky, manager at Lange’s Little Store. “On the other side of the coin, she just became a grandma. So that's a good choice. Either run for President or be grandma.”

Haletzky, who remains politically neutral, said the Clintons frequent his store and called Hillary “energetic” and “charismatic.”

Anyone questioned who said that Clinton shouldn’t run chose not to comment.

Barbara Locke, who lived in Chappaqua for 26 years before moving to Katonah in 2003, said Hillary may never be as charismatic as her husband, but possesses qualities she wants in a President.

“You can’t beat intelligence,” she said.

The former two-term U.S. Senator's campaign signed a lease for office space in Brooklyn Heights last week, according to Politico.com. This means she has 15 days from the start of campaign activities, such as establishing a campaign headquarters, to file paperwork for her looming presidential run, according to Federal Election Commission rules.

 

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