Anthony Weiner, the disgraced New York politician who spent a year and a half in prison for sending sexually explicit images to a minor, is toying with the idea of running for office again, this time for his local city council.
In an era of politics where it seems anyone can make a comeback, Weiner, 60, is considering entering the Democratic primary for New York City Council – citing his desire to “be of service.”
“There are just too many problems that I feel are not being addressed in a serious way,” Weiner said during an episode of his radio show, according to The New York Times.
His motivation to help seems to outweigh his fears of judgment or failure when it comes to re-entering the public eye, no less as a political candidate.
In 2011, Weiner resigned from Congress after he admitted to sexting multiple women and initially lying about it.
The last time he attempted to make a political comeback was in 2013, when his run for New York City mayor Democratic nominee fell apart after he was again caught sending explicit photos to women under the name Carlos Danger.
Then, in 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor after prosecutors indicted him for sexting a 15-year-old girl, for which he spent almost two years in prison.
The latter might have had broader implications. Weiner’s wife at the time, Huma Abedin, was vice chair of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, leading FBI Director James Comey to reopen an investigation into Clinton’s emails. Some Democrats still blame her loss to Donald Trump in 2016 on Comey’s decision.
But now, in an age where the president-elect was elected after two impeachments, four criminal indictments, a felony conviction and allegations of sexual misconduct, it seems Weiner’s scandal can’t hold him back.
“I want people to decide they want Anthony Weiner representing them not in spite of his story and in spite of his journey but because of it,” he said.
Weiner has not officially announced his intent to run for City Council in the Second District but he’s heavily hinted at it.
The disgraced congressmen held a public interview at a barbershop on Astor Place on Wednesday where he suggested a political campaign may be the thing he needs to help his fellow New Yorkers, even if there’s a stain on his reputation.
Rather than run from the past, Weiner embraces it by acknowledging his wrongdoings and welcoming others as well. On his radio show, he compares his behavior to that of a person addicted to substances.
He’s sympathetic to those who don’t want him to run as a result of his history but still advocates for others to give him a second chance.
One of those he would be running against, Sarah Batchu, doesn’t sound too enthusiastic about his potential return, however. “Everyone deserves a second chance,” she told New Republic. “But this guy has had third, fourth and fifth chances.”
