Anthony Weiner has dropped to fourth place in a July 29 poll released by Quinnipiac University of the Democratic candidates for mayor of New York City, behind City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (27%), Public Advocate Bill de Blasio (21%), and Comptroller Bill Thompson (20%). Weiner stands at (16%).
Quinn was once City Council Speaker, and during her tenure in 2008 helped repeal term limits so her friend Michael Bloomberg could run for a third term. The two-term limit had been approved by New Yorkers in 1993 and confirmed in 1996. Many see her past decision to support Bloomberg as mercenary; she had previously supported term limits but she was being scrutinized because the method the City Council used to issue grants to community organizations was under investigation. Thus, postponing any run for mayor until Bloomberg’s term expired in 2013 would give her time and distance from a possible scandal. She has also been accused of being involved in a “slush fund” scandal, in which the City Council for years had assigned millions of dollars to fictitious organizations.
De Blasio is a committed liberal; as Public Advocate he opposed the Citizens United SCOTUS decision and launched a national campaign of elected officials to overturn it that proved unsuccessful. He wants to stop racial profiling and tax the wealthy to fund universal preschool and after-school programs.
Thompson, who is black, compared George Zimmerman’s encounter with Trayvon Martin to the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practice, saying recently, “Here in New York City, we have institutionalized Mr. Zimmerman’s suspicion with a policy that all but requires our police officers to treat young black and Latino men with suspicion, to stop them and to frisk them because of the color of their skin.” He added, “Trayvon Martin did die because he was black. Of that there is no doubt.”
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