Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) told Breitbart News on Thursday that he believes that only negative pressure from New York City residents will force Anthony Weiner out of the Democratic Mayoral primary.
Other New York Democrats on the hill are beginning to feel Weiner’s behavior is a “distraction” to the Party’s agenda, as Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) described it, while Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) called on Weiner to resign on Wednesday to seek medical help.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi chimed in as well on Thursday, telling NBC’s Luke Russert that Weiner’s conduct had been “reprehensible.”
Three of Weiner’s mayoral rivals, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and former City Councilman Sal Albanese, both Democrats, along with billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis, a Republican, called on Weiner to drop out of the race.
Weiner’s closest competition in the Democratic primary, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, said on WNYC-AM that Weiner should “think about the people of this city and make the right decision.”
Quinn also said at a news conference that New York “needs a mayor whose sole focus isn’t self-aggrandizement” but that ultimately it was Weiner’s and his family’s decision as to whether or not he should leave the race.