Christine Quinn Campaign Video: Speaker Announces Historic Bid To Become New York City’s First Gay, Female Mayor

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (c.) is seen as Mayor Michael Bloomberg's (l.) right-hand girl. A tough-speaking Manhattan lesbian with close ties to the administration and a long legislative history, she must overcome a number of hurdles, but she has been the most prolific fundraiser of the 2013 contenders so far. International Business Times

In an announcement that probably failed to surprise a single New Yorker on Sunday, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn officially threw her hat into the mayoral ring, solidifying her aim to become the Big Apple’s first female, first openly gay mayor.

Quinn's campaign posted a five-minute video to YouTube, a sort of mini documentary about Quinn’s life and political career. In the video, the Democratic candidate, who was born in Long Island, professes her love for the city and its 8 million-plus inhabitants.

“The thing I love most about New York City is its people,” Quinn says in the video. “How colorful they are, how in the best of all possible ways crazy they are, how much they love New York, and how hard they fight to make sure New York is everything they need it to be.”

Despite often butting heads with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Quinn is seen by many as a front-runner among the Democratic hopefuls who have expressed their desire to take the reins in November. It’s a crowded race to say the least, with no less than six candidates likely taking part in the Democratic primaries, including former City Comptroller Bill Thompson and New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.

Still, as the first woman and first openly gay speaker of the New York City Council, Quinn is arguably the most well-known of the lot, having appeared twice on the New York Post’s list of the 50 most powerful women in New York City. She is also outspending her competition with her campaign funds, according to several reports.

Some prominent New Yorkers took to Twitter on Sunday to express their excitement over Quinn’s candidacy, including the Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Daryl Roth:

It's official!@chriscquinn for Mayor! Watch her beautiful announcement: youtu.be/RCsG_84-Y7A
— Daryl Roth (@Daryl_Roth) March 10, 2013

Of course, Quinn has her share of political enemies as well. As staunch supporter of New York City’s controversial horse-drawn carriage industry, she has been heavily criticized by animal-rights activists who would otherwise support her.

As a gay man I'm glad an open Lesbian like @chriscquinn is running for Mayor. But as a vegan animal rights activist, I won't support her.
— Dr Ethan the Ⓥegan (@EthanTheVegan) March 10, 2013

According to the New York Times, Quinn’s new campaign video was produced by SKD Knickerbocker, a high-powered consulting firm, which also produces videos for Bloomberg.

Check out the full video below.