Anthony Weiner takes the lead in a new poll

Weiner is now ahead in the Democratic primary for the New York City mayoral race

Published June 26, 2013 1:02PM (EDT)

A new poll by NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal finds that Anthony Weiner is now ahead among Democratic voters in the primary for the New York City mayoral race, passing right by Christine Quinn.

From NBC New York:

Weiner, who entered the race two years after resigning his congressional seat amid a sexting scandal, now leads City Council Speaker Christine Quinn 25 percent to 20 percent among registered Democrats, the poll by Marist found. That's a flip-flop from the last survey in May, when Quinn, the longtime front-runner, led Weiner 24 percent to 19 percent.

But, according to the poll, there's a big possibility that the race will end with a runoff, since no candidate has yet captured the 40 percent of the vote needed to avoid one.

Though Weiner's prospects were initially unpromising -- given the scandal that resulted in his resignation from Congress and polling that showed 50 percent of Democrats saying they would not vote for him -- as Salon's Blake Zeff has argued, several facts including Weiner's mound of campaign cash and his rather uninspiring opponents have given him a strong chance to win it.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

MORE FROM Jillian Rayfield


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Anthony Weiner Christine Quinn Democrats New York City New York Mayor