City Council speaker launches NYC mayoral bid

NEW YORK (AP) — She's been seen as a leading contender for months, but now New York City Council speaker Christine Quinn has formally launched what she hopes will be a history-making mayoral bid.

The Democrat announced through her Twitter feed Sunday that she's in the race to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg. In a video, she says "I'm running for mayor because I love this city." Quinn would be the first woman and the first openly gay person to serve as mayor of the country's largest city. She has been on the City Council since 1999 and its leader since 2006.

She's enjoyed a considerable edge over other Democratic contenders in polls. And she's generally perceived as likely to get the Republican-turned-independent Bloomberg's backing. Some Democratic opponents have tried to use that against her.