7/15/2012
By Ivan Pereira
If Anthony Weiner is seriously looking to be the next mayor, New Yorkers say he’s going to have to work to prove he’s a better man.
The former Queens congressman, who resigned in the wake of his infamous Twitter and sexting scandal last year, is eyeing a run for either mayor or public advocate in 2013, according to the New York Post. Despite his decade of work in the House, potential voters said they could not cast a ballot for Weiner without thinking about those explicit images.
“No one’s a saint, but it’s hard to strike that from your memory,” Victoria Adduci, 22, of Williamsburg, said.
There are at least six prospective mayoral candidates including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.
Whether voters want him or not, Weiner, 47, has secured $4.8 million for a campaign, according to the city’s campaign finance board.
Political experts say Weiner may be savvy enough to use that money for a major comeback.
“If he can frame that well and let people know he would be a good mayor, it would make him a viable candidate,” said Jamie Chandler, a political-science professor at Hunter College.
