If you’re a politician who left office over a sex scandal, this is the year to make your comeback. Mark Sanford is now a sitting congressman, and Anthony Weiner tops the polls in the New York mayor’s race.
And now, it’s Eliot Spitzer’s turn.
The former New York Governor announced a bid for New York City Comptroller on Sunday, the New York Times reports. Spitzer resigned from the governorship in 2008 after he was revealed to be a client of a high-end prostitution ring called Emperor’s Club VIP.
“I’m hopeful there will be forgiveness. I am asking for it,” Spitzer told the New York Times.
He also told the Times that he regularly hears from people who appreciated his work as governor and want him to return to public life.
“It happens all the time,” he said. “People who walk with me on the street say, ‘People really do want you to get back in.'”
Spitzer has until Thursday to amass the required 3,750 signatures from registered Democratic voters in order to make it onto the primary ballot. He plans to self-fund his candidacy.
The current Democratic frontrunner in the race is Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, but Spitzer, who was very popular as governor and has high name recognition, could upend his plans. The current comptroller, John Liu, is running for mayor.
Spitzer told the Times that he wants to expand the scope of the comptroller’s office to monitoring the “effectiveness of government policies, in areas like education,” rather than just tracking city spending.
Spitzer served as Attorney General before he was elected governor. Since resigning, he has worked as a television commentator on Current TV and NY1.