He's back: Anthony Weiner leads in NYC mayoral race
Two years after the Twitter-flirting congressman resigned in disgrace, voters seem ready to give him a second chance
Anthony Weiner is back on top.
The bombastic congressman turned outcast philanderer turned New York City mayoral candidate is the top choice among registered voters in a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll of the city's upcoming Democratic primary.
In the poll, 25 percent of registered Democrats picked Weiner as their top choice, versus 20 percent who chose City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. It was the first time a poll found Weiner leading the race, and it marked the lowest showing Quinn has posted in any NBC/WSJ survey this year.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Quinn, who started off the race comfortably in front of a crowded primary field, has seen her support steadily slip since Weiner joined the race. As recently as February, a poll showed Quinn well out in front with 37 percent of the vote.
Weiner still trailed Quinn in a theoretical runoff scenario, 44 percent to 42 percent. However, that was much closer than last month, when a survey found Quinn ahead 48 percent to 33 percent in a head-to-head matchup.
Under New York State law, if no candidate in a citywide primary gets 40 percent of the vote, there is an automatic runoff between the top two candidates.
"Things are changing — the race has been scrambled by Weiner's candidacy," Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the poll, told the Journal. "Weiner's candidacy has gotten more acceptable to voters since he announced, [and] Quinn's having a difficult time reversing what has been a slow but steady decline in her numbers."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
After months of teasing and a lengthy PR blitz, Weiner formally announced his candidacy in late May. His bid at political redemption comes two years after a sexting scandal and the endless, pun-laden media frenzy it spawned forced him to resign and end his once-promising career in Washington.
As the New York Times' Micah Cohen noted this month, early frontrunners in New York's Democratic primaries have a "near perfect" track record of ultimately winning the party's nomination. The Democratic primary is scheduled for September 10.
The poll was conducted June 17-21 among 689 registered Democratic voters. It has a margin of error of four percentage points.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Are 'judge shopping' rules a blow to Republicans?
Today's Big Question How the abortion pill case got to the Supreme Court
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'A great culture will be lost if the EV brigade gets its way'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published