Disgraced Weiner Eyes Run for Mayor of New York

From a New York Post report: Anthony Weiner’s not shrinking from elected office.

The disgraced former congressman – who’s sitting on a $4.5 million campaign war chest – is mulling a bid for citywide office next year and “seriously considering” a mayoral run, multiple sources told The Post.

The pol is also open to the post of public advocate as a backup plan, said sources, who described the Queens Democrat as “desperate” to get back into politics.

Weiner, 47, has even spoken to former staffers about going back to work for him, according to another source.

And he wants to run soon because the public match on his campaign funds are due to expire after the 2013 election.

“I’ve heard he is seriously thinking about getting into a citywide race in 2013 and would like it to be mayor,” said a source with ties to Weiner. “In his mind, he’s trying to figure out how to run for mayor.”

He’s reached out to politicos to “talk about the landscape,” said a former staffer.

The buzz in political circles is that Weiner has a better shot at public advocate – a $165,000-a-year job viewed as a “cleansing” post where he could put his character issues further behind him as he prepped for a 2017 mayoral run.

Potential candidates for public advocate are state Sen. Daniel Squadron, City Council member Letitia James and Reshma Saujani, currently a deputy in the Public Advocate’s Office – none of whom has Weiner’s citywide name recognition or his deep campaign coffers.

The pol has kept a low profile since resigning from Congress in June 2011.

Weiner made the media rounds to applaud the US Supreme Court’s health-care decision last month – dipping his toe back into political waters.

But he still has his political infrastructure intact if he decides to launch a campaign.

A spokeswoman for Weiner declined to comment on his political future.

Source: THE NEW YORK POST

{Matzav.com Newscenter}