Outside the Beltway

Weiner In 4th Place In New Poll

Doug Mataconis · Friday, August 9, 2013 · 5 comments

A new poll from Siena College and The New York Times seems to show that Anthony Weiner’s campaign has finally fizzled out:

Christine C. Quinn is leading the crowded field in the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor, lifted by support among Manhattanites and higher-income voters, the latest New York Times/Siena College poll finds.

But just over a month before the Sept. 10 primary, Ms. Quinn is still well below the level needed to avoid a runoff, and many voters remain undecided.

Ms. Quinn, the City Council speaker, is backed by 25 percent of Democratic voters, followed by 16 percent for William C. Thompson Jr., a former city comptroller, and 14 percent for Bill de Blasio, the public advocate.

Anthony D. Weiner garners the support of 10 percent of Democratic voters, confirming his slippage in the race that other surveys have also recorded since revelations that he continued to have sexually explicit exchanges with women online after he resigned from Congress two years ago. The remaining candidates in the poll each drew less than 5 percent; 26 percent of the Democratic voters surveyed were undecided.

Elliot Spiter, meanwhile continues to lead in the Comptroller’s race:

In the Democratic primary race for city comptroller, the poll finds Eliot Spitzer with a nine-point lead over Scott M. Stringer. Mr. Spitzer, who resigned as governor after his patronization of prostitutes became public, is at 44 percent. Mr. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president, registers 35 percent. Nineteen percent of Democratic voters are undecided about the comptroller’s race.

Mr. Spitzer is buoyed by strong support among black voters – 57 percent back him, compared with 37 percent of white voters. And while voters under age 45 are split between the candidates, older voters favor Mr. Spitzer. The poll finds no difference in preferences between men and women in the comptroller’s race.

So, it looks as though Weiner’s shot at redepemption is going to fall short, but that Spitzer may yet end up winning his race. Considering that Spitzer was the one who actually broke the law, I’m not sure what that says about the priorities of New York City Democratic voters.