Weiner Says He Could Have Been Winner

A week after Mayor Bloomberg's narrower-than-expected victory, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn/Queens) has come out of the woodwork claiming that he could have defeated the incumbent. The Congressman — who abandoned his short-lived Mayoral campaign in May — claims that in order to win, Bloomberg would have needed to spend at least $150 million (about $50 million more than the Mayor's record-breaking campaign expenditures).

"They were afraid of me," said Weiner, who is known as a defender of supermodels, an avid hockey player, and a former roommate of The Daily Show's Jon Stewart. "I saw a way to beat Mike Bloomberg, but it was a narrow path."

Weiner told the Times that he dropped out of the Mayoral race to focus on healthcare. If he had continued to run a "full-fledged, full-throated Weiner-style campaign,” he claims that Bloomberg would have attacked him every time he missed a hearing or a vote. “I would have to absent myself from my Washington responsibilities, which were really big and would have been really noticeable if I had not done them,” said Weiner, who was one Congress' most vocal advocates for a public option. "If I had sat here in D.C., not gotten much done or moved the ball on what I said I would, maybe I would say my time was better spent becoming mayor."

That said, skeptics think Weiner bailed out over concerns that after his second-place finish in the 2005 Democratic primary, a Mayoral loss "would be devastating to his ambitions." But in the wake of Democratic challenger Bill Thompson's better-than-anticipated showing, many Democrats continue to wonder what would have happened if Weiner — who is already being named as a frontrunner in the 2013 race — hadn't dropped out.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Ben Muessig in News on November 11, 2009 4:04 PM

Comments [rss]

cxb

ANYONE could've beaten Bloomberg, who is the first person in history to have ZERO real supporters. (He had to either buy off or mislead 100% of his "fans", unlike Stalin, Giuliani, Manson, and even Palin!)

Our Naked Emperor is the most pathetic human in history, arguably.

I COULD BEAT BLOOMBAG without spending 1 cent, and if anyone doubts this, let's go outside with a videocamera and interview the first 50 people we see in any nabe.

(Rev Billy, spent $50,000 to my $120 and he had a huge staff, huge media coverage, etc, while I was blacklisted [and falsely arrested 3 times during the campaign!] and yet Billy barely got 50% as many votes as I did without trying.)

I bet I prove to have 100% of their votes and I bet 100% say they think Bloomberg belongs in PRISON----once we tell them some of the facts media kept secret from them.

If i fail, I buy you lunch. If I succeed, you buy me lunch.

WHY wouldn't Gothamist take me up on this offer?

Because they are scared to death of our tiny dictator.

Like almost everyone else, including Weiner.

Mr Mel

I don't blame Wiener for not running against Bloomberg. He's right, he could have beaten him. He is however, earning seniority in the House and will eventually be a power to be reckoned with. The Mayoralty is a dead end. No NYC Mayor has ever advanced to a higher office after after leaving City Hall. Just Google "list of NYC mayors".

inoyourider

It's easy to talk shit after the fight is over...

verbal

Mid term elections are coming soon - vote this faggot(not as in gay, as in retarded) out of office.

Focus on healthcare my ass, this guy is such a douche it's unbelievable. He was scared out of his wits by a midget from boston.

JacqueMehoff

I had hopes for this guy, I admit it. he has no shame is right.

now it's deblasio, liu and gioia. hopefully deblasio and liu won't disappoint.

gotham10004

You have to smoke a lot of crack to believe that he feared that Bloomberg would attack him for missing votes in Congress during a mayoral campaign.

Even if Bloomberg DID levy that criticism, who would care? And I have no doubt that his Schumer-esque media blitz for the public option was to validate his original bullshit excuse why he didn't run-there was no compelling reason why he, more than any other of the hundreds of House democrats went crazy for the public option.

Give me a break: this guy has a monumental ego and looks like a coward and an opportunist.

Trilby16

Has this man no shame? He dropped out, but he could have won. Puh-lease!

emilydickinson

Weiner hires creative freelancers and then refuses to pay them. He's a creep.

Mordicai

Woulda coulda shoulda.

JenChungsBaby

Shut up Anthony.

hotstepper

i'd agree, given the close margin won by lame-duck thompson, but i'm a little too old (and tall) to play pretend.

MT

No he couldn't have.

JacqueMehoff

shut it.

Dirk

"full-fledged, full-throated Weiner-style campaign”

A most unfortunate sentence...

Potty Boy

He could play in Jimmy Fallon's Hotdog in a Hole game...

NannyState

He's accustomed to inducing gag reflexes.

hotstepper

no problem, you've just got to relax the muscles.

Squard

Weiner is a Whiner

zodak

i coulda been a contender.

felixthecat2

"They were afraid of me", it was Weiner who was afraid of the dirt that they would find on him. thompson was a good man, Bloomberg spend millions of dollars and couldn't find any dirt on Thompson.

HOTCUP

what dirt, exactly? where are you getting this?

weiner was afraid of everything you were bitching about bloomberg two weeks ago, and with good reason.

"Bloomberg spend millions of dollars and couldn't find any dirt on Thompson."

and yet thompson still lost... which would justify weiner's fears even if he had nothing to hide.

if thompson's such a great guy, let him run against weiner in 2013, see how that works out for him.