Weiner Considering A Comeback With Mayoral Bid
Former Congressman Anthony D. Weiner is considering a comeback in the form of a bold run for mayor, according to a report by the New York Times.
The Times report includes a link to a 10-page profile of Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin, where the former congressman discusses the infamous Twitter scandal that led him to resign in 2011.
In the profile, Weiner offered a series of apologies, discussed his private life and potential political future going forward. Before Weiner’s Twitter incident derailed his career, he was considered a front-runner to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2013 election.
In January, we reported on a “mysterious pollster” who was asking voters on whether they could support Weiner in a potential return to New York politics either as mayor or city comptroller. The Times now confirmed that Weiner has already spent $100,000 on such polling but he still hasn’t decided whether or not to jump in the race.
“It’s now or maybe never for me,” Weiner told the Times.
Weiner’s cautiousness about returning to politics not only stems from a potential reluctance of voters willing to forgive his misgivings but also because he has embraced a new commitment to fixing his marriage and raising his son.
“I live with a lot of guilt about what I put her through. She’s this amazing woman who did nothing wrong, who, to some degree, has people staring at her now on the subway because of what an idiot her husband was. And I feel bad about that. A lot.
“But in the confines of our home and our relationship and our parenting this child and our love for each other — she said she wanted to get through it, she wanted not to conflate the giant international news story with the two people who were involved in it. And a lot of women couldn’t do that. And Jordan has given us a lot of perspective. We have to deal with this a lot. It’s not behind us. It kind of bubbles around and comes up in different ways. But she’s, um. . . .” Here, he paused and took a deep breath and started to cry. “She’s given. . . .” He stopped again, could barely get the words out. “She’s given me another chance. And I am very grateful for that. And I’m trying to make sure I get it right.”
Weiner already has $4.3 million saved from his brief campaign for mayor in 2009 and if he decides to run, he must declare his candidacy by June 10 in order to qualify for public funding which would amount to an additional $1.5 million.
We were wondering what our readers think about Weiner’s potential run for mayor. Do you think he deserves a comeback? Could he win in spite of his scandal? Let us know.
