Politics & Government

Wrap Up: Big Week for Spitzer

Former governor jumps right into the center of the New York City elections.

The upcoming New York City election become the center to the political world this week when disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer decided to enter the city’s comptroller race just a few years after resigning the state’s top office due to a prostitution scandal.

The announcement, and widespread interest, was even more scrutinized since former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who resigned amid a sexting scandal, is also running for mayor.

Here is our wrap up of how the week went for Spitzer and Weiner.

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Monday: Spitzer Announces Run

Eliot Spitzer announced Sunday night that he is running for New York City Comptroller, claiming people have been telling him desperately, breathlessly, to get back into politics and save them from mismanagement of the city budget.

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Spitzer had been out of public office for five years, spending much of the time writing op-ed pieces for online publications, and hosting a short-lived CNN show.

In his interview with the Times, Spitzer tried to steer the discussion of his political career back to his time as New York's attorney general, which he said is more closely related to what the city comptroller does.

He called the comptroller's role "ripe for greater and more exciting use of the office’s jurisdiction.”

Tuesday: Liu Calls Spitzer’s Move ‘Offensive’

City Comptroller John Liu, who is currently a distant also-ran in the race for mayor, during an event at City Hall called the Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer campaigns "an affront to women.”

Liu also reportedly said that women of New York have every right to be angry that Weiner and Spitzer, who were drummed out of office for incidents involving lewd conduct and prostitution, respectively, could be allowed to assume positions of incredible power in the city.

Wednesday: Weiner on Display

Anthony Weiner got some extra attention from the Museum of Sex, part of a new exhibit exploring sexuality in the digital world.

"This exhibition explores these very questions through a lens of digital experience by examining what we are searching for, how we do it and what we leave behind on these electronic devices," the exhibit's curator wrote in a press release.

Titled "Universe of Desire," the exhibit features excerpts from a Facebook conversation between then-Congressman Weiner and a Las Vegas blackjack dealer. The conversation eventually went public after Weiner accidentally tweeted a lewd photo of himself to his followers and had his cover unraveled.

Calling the conversation a "digital paper trail," Director of Exhibitions Mark Snyder said it was absolutely germane to the theme.

Thursday: Spitzer Leads (Already)Lena Dunham Not Among Fans

Eliot Spitzer is the leading candidate in the city's comptroller race, according to a new poll.

The NBC 4 News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll showed that 42 percent of Democratic voters support Spitzer with 33 percent supporting Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Around 24 percent of voters had yet to make up their mind.

The poll also indicated that Spitzer's support was slightly stronger among men.

“Right now, New York City Democrats are willing to give Spitzer a second chance, but the big question is what happens after the shock value of his return to politics fades and the campaign for comptroller heats up,” said Director Lee M. Miringoff of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “Having just recently gone down a similar path with Anthony Weiner, Democrats may reach redemption overload for one or both of these candidates.”

Meanwhile, Lena Dunham, the young mastermind behind the HBO series Girls, fired off a pair of endorsements, backing comptroller candidate Scott Stringer and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn.

"I'm passionate about the idea of the first woman mayor. Plus @ChrisCQuinn is tough, results oriented & can handle a City as complex as NY," Dunham wrote on Twitter.

She also said Stringer possessed "executive realness" which I think we can all agree is a phrase that will now be used in job interviews for management positions in every field.

Friday: Spitzer Likely on the Ballot

With less than two hours to go to turn in the petition signatures necessary to secure a place on the ballot, former governor Eliot Spitzer turned in a whopping 27,000.

"Against the odds and all predictions--and in light of some who tried to thwart the effort--I am pleased to announce that we have collected more than 27,000 signatures in four days," Spitzer wrote on Twitter Thursday night. "I want to thank those who assisted with this effort and the New Yorkers who signed these petitions. I pledge to stand with you against the special interests and on the crucial issues."

The former governor was scrambling for days to get the signatures — a truly impressive number, considering his candidacy was announced Sunday night. His petitioning operation was the focus of political media across the city. By clearing the bar in easy fashion, Spitzer puts to rest any idea that his campaign will have fire drill qualities.

Spitzer isn't totally home free yet. It takes 3,750 signatures to secure a place on the ballot, assuming the signatures are valid and from registered Democrats. They also have to stand up to possible legal challenges.


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