Is New York ready to forgive Eliot Spitzer?
The disgraced ex-governor is jumping into the New York City comptroller contest. He's not just an Anthony Weiner wannabe, either
Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) says he's jumping into the race for New York City comptroller. Is America taking this disgraced-politician-bouncing-back thing a little too far?
In some ways, Spitzer's comeback bid is strikingly similar to former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's. Both men's governorships were defined by sexual scandal — Sanford was formally censured after secretly leaving the country for a tryst with his Argentine mistress, Spitzer resigned in 2008 after he was outed for hiring expensive prostitutes — and both have sought political redemption through lower-ranking office. Sanford won his U.S. House race in May.
Spitzer's late jump into the New York City's comptroller race, however, will mostly be compared with former Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D) late-start New York City mayoral campaign. Weiner hasn't won anything yet — the first hurdle, the Democratic primary, isn't until September — but he's already earned a sort of political absolution by rising to a first-place tie in recent polls against longtime frontrunner Christine Quinn (D).
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.
Before we delve into why Spitzer could win his race, let's look first at why he may not. He has to gather 3,750 valid signatures from registered New York City Democrats by Thursday to get his name on the September primary ballot. Unions and the New York Democratic establishment have already lined up behind his sole primary opponent, Scott Stringer, the well-regarded Manhattan borough president. And then there's the whole prostitution thing. "I'm hopeful there will be forgiveness," Spitzer tells The New York Times. "I am asking for it."
On the plus side of Sptizer's ledger, says Maggie Haberman at Politico, "if he is able to get on the ballot, is the fact that down-ballot races in the city tend to be won largely on name recognition." Stringer is affable and popular among those who know him, but he's "far from the household name that Spitzer is, and voters don't view the job as important as mayor."
And as far as scandals go, Haberman adds, Spitzer's patronizing of "the world's oldest profession" and quick exit from office may sit better with voters than Weiner's "creepy" Twitter photos, not to mention his subsequent lies about them.
That's only one difference between the two candidates, says Ben Smith at BuzzFeed. In fact, "Spitzer has basically nothing in common with Weiner, aside from their low body fat, and shared (and lightly observed) Jewish faith."
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
Spitzer won the governorship in a landslide, however, because of his brutally effective stint as New York attorney general, a position he used to crack down on Wall Street, even before Wall Street helped push us into deep recession. His nascent pitch to voters, delivered through The New York Times, is that he plans to do with the city comptroller's office "what I did with the attorney general's office.... It is ripe for greater and more exciting use of the office's jurisdiction."
The comptroller is essentially New York City's fiscal watchdog and auditor, plus the official in charge of the city's public pension funds. As New York Times reporter Nicholas Confessore says:
CNN's Steve Krakauer notes another reason Spitzer has a shot:
The big question for New York City voters, then, is perhaps not whether they can forgive sexual indiscretion, but whether they want a bulldog barking at the mayor's door and Wall Street banks, says BuzzFeed's Smith. And that may work out in Spitzer's favor:
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'This needs to be a bigger deal'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published