Should Anthony Weiner Drop Out Of NYC Mayoral Race? 53% Of Voters Think So

New Yorkers seem not be forgiving Anthony Weiner one more time. A new poll finds 53 percent of likely voters believe that the disgraced former congressman should drop out of the mayoral race after last week’s revelations that he continued sexting with various women well after he resigned in 2011.

According to a poll released Monday by Quinnipiac University, Weiner’s stance in the polls has fallen from first place (26 percent) just five days ago to fourth place (16 percent) on Monday. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has risen to the top of the Democratic race in Weiner’s place, commanding 27 percent of the total vote, while Public Advocate Bill Blasio holds 21 percent and former Comptroller William Thompson holds an additional 20 percent.

“With six weeks to go, anything can happen, but it looks like former Congressman Anthony Weiner may have sexted himself right out of the race for New York City mayor," Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release. "And with Wiener in free-fall, it begins to look like a three-way race again."

Furthermore, 53 percent of responders to the poll stated that Weiner should drop out of the race in order to give other candidates a better chance. Only 40 percent responded that Weiner should remain in the mayoral race, while 7 percent said they were undecided on the issue. In the event that Weiner does drop out of the race, 30 percent of responders said they would vote for Quinn, making her the strongest candidate on two fronts.

It’s not just New York voters who are unhappy with Weiner, either. Politicians seem to have no hope for Weiner making a comeback in the mayoral race. Steve Behar, a Democratic political activist in Queens, spoke with the International Business Times on Monday, saying that it would be best for everyone involved if Weiner gave up.

“I think the wheels have come off his campaign, and there’s nothing left. I think he’s probably going to have to -- I hate to use the pun -- but he’s going to have to pull out of the race in the end,” Behar said. “It’s over. I think Americans, and New Yorkers, specifically, are willing to give someone a second chance, but I don’t think they’re willing to give someone a third chance, especially this close to finding out what happened.”

Even Elliot Spitzer, himself working on a comeback campaign for comptroller after resigning his governorship over soliciting prostitutes, says Weiner should not be allowed to become mayor. On Monday, MSNBC host Chris Matthews asked Spitzer whether he would rule out Weiner for his sexting indiscretions.

“I think the answer is yes,” Spitzer said. “We have had a number of instances over the years where inevitably, of course, municipal employees, state employees have used computers and the like for improper purposes and there is an appropriate sanction for that and there should be.”

Still, Weiner says he’s not down for the count just yet. At a Brooklyn campaign stop on Sunday, Weiner reiterated that he would stay in the race as he attempted to shift focus away from himself and onto his policies.

"We knew this would be a tough campaign," Weiner said, even as his campaign manager resigned over the weekend. "We have an amazing staff, but this isn't about the people working on the campaign. It's about the people we're campaigning for."