Is New York ready to forgive, forget, and vote? Anthony Weiner sure hopes so.
Weiner, who served New York’s 9th District from 1999 to 2011 resigned in disgrace after a handful of lewd, online affairs were made public. On Wednesday, he formally kicked off his candidacy for New York City mayor with an ad, reintroducing himself as a family man with strong middle class, New York roots and a humble, reformed civil servant craving a return to office.
“Look, I made some big mistakes and I know I let a lot of people down. But I’ve also learned some tough lessons,” Weiner said in the video. “I’m running for mayor because I’ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life and I hope I get a second chance to work for you.”
Weiner released a detailed platform, “Keys to the City: 64 Ideas to Keep New York the Capital of the Middle Class” on his website, detailing a moderate platform, in the vein of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s socially liberal, fiscally conservative, education-focused administration.
Weiner hopes to follow in the footsteps of Mark Sanford, the former governor who was recently reelected to his former Congressional seat in South Carolina.