Weiner Would Be Among Top Mayoral Candidates, Poll Finds
Weiner Would Be Among Top Mayoral Candidates, Poll Finds
It would seem as though announcing his candidacy would be unnecessary.
Less than two years after having to resign his House seat following a highly-publicized online scandal, Anthony Weiner is among the leading candidates of a contentious New York City mayoral race.
Should he enter the Democratic primary race for mayor today, Weiner would be supported by 15 percent of registered Democrats in New York City, according to an NBC New York-Marist poll released Tuesday. Christine Quinn is the only candidate that leads him with 26 percent of the votes.
City comptroller John Liu sits at third place with 12 percent of the votes, tightly followed by former comptroller Bill Thompson and public advocate Bill de Blasio who each have 11 percent.
"Right now, a Weiner candidacy attracts double-digit support in the Democratic primary," Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement released Tuesday. "He makes it even more difficult for any of the Democratic contenders to reach the needed forty percent to avoid a run-off."
Alongside his newfound polling numbers, Weiner has already landed the endorsement of Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota.
"Anthony's a good guy in my opinion," Ellison said to Current host Bill Press, according to CityPages. "Now, he should've come clean once he got busted, you know, and I'm sorry he didn't do that. But he's sorry he didn't do that. And his wife's sorry he didn't do that."
But even despite his position -- ahead of some competitive candidates who have been hustling from event to event on the campaign trail for weeks -- the poll reported 40 percent of Democrats in the city want Weiner to enter the mayoral race. Forty-six percent say they do not want him to run.
The Democratic leading candidate, Quinn, who currently serves as City Council Speaker, has lost some momentum among voters since the NBC New York-Marist poll in February projected she was favored by 30 percent of those who voted. Liu's polling numbers, on the other hand, have made slight gains.
