When former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned in disgrace after conceding he had sent lewd photos of himself to women on the internet, his political future seemed doomed.
Six weeks after the New York Democrat resigned, a Marist poll found that 64% of registered voters in New York City did not want to see him run for mayor while only 26% did.
But after Weiner filed campaign finance reports with the New York City Campaign Finance Board showing he had nearly $4.5 million in the bank, the speculation about whether Weiner would dare run for NYC mayor in 2013 has started. Weiner has long been rumored to be a potential NYC mayoral candidate and the weak slate of potential candidates in 2013 may intensify the speculation as the deadline for Weiner to claim the matching funds nears.
According to the Associated Press (AP), Weiner is eligible for up to $1.5 million in public matching funds, which he would have to forego if those funds are not used in the upcoming election cycle.
In an interview with People magazine, Weiner, according to the AP, did not rule reentering the political arena.
“I can’t say absolutely that I will never run for public office again, but I’m very happy in my present life. I’m not doing anything to plan a campaign,” Weiner told the magazine, according to the AP.
Others think no amount of money, especially in the digital age, can give Weiner an image makeover.
“You can’t buy your way out of the mess he got himself in,” said Robert Bellafiore, a former press secretary to Republican Gov. George Pataki. “People don’t elect punch lines.”
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