Quantcast
Poll: Weiner in second place among Democratic mayoral candidates – Metro US

Poll: Weiner in second place among Democratic mayoral candidates

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned amid a sexting scandal in June 2011. (Credit: Getty Images) Former Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned amid a sexting scandal in June 2011. Credit: Getty Images

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner has not yet declared that he is running for mayor, but a new poll showed him in second place among the Democratic candidates, trailing only City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in a hypothetical primary race.

According to an NBC New York/Marist poll released Tuesday, Quinn led the race with support from 26 percent of voters, and Weiner came in second with 15 percent. City Comptroller John Liu followed with 12 percent, and former City Comptroller Bill Thompson and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio both received 11 percent.

“Right now, a Weiner candidacy attracts double-digit support in the Democratic primary,” said Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “He makes it even more difficult for any of the Democratic contenders to reach the needed 40 percent to avoid a runoff.”

Weiner recently returned to the public eye when he announced in an interview with The New York Times Magazine that he is considering running for mayor. The former congressman resigned in 2011 amid a sexting scandal.

When voters were asked if Weiner should enter the mayoral race, 40 percent of registered Democrats said he should run, while 46 percent said he shouldn’t run. Fourteen percent said they are not sure.

The poll also showed what the race would look like without Weiner: Quinn led the race with 30 percent of support, de Blasio came in second with 15 percent, Thompson followed with 14 percent and Liu received 11 percent of support.

The results indicated a slight drop in support for Quinn, even though she still led by a large margin. A similar poll conducted in February showed 37 percent of voters supported Quinn.

The survey was conducted between April 11 and 15, with 1,127 adults interviewed over the phone.