Poll: Spitzer leads in NYC comptroller race

{mosads}Sixty-seven percent of New York Dems said Spitzer deserves a second chance, with 25 percent saying he did not have “the character to be comptroller.” Forty-four percent of Democrats believe Spitzer has changed since the scandal, with 25 percent saying he has not.

Spitzer earlier this week announced that he would return to political life, entering the race for comptroller. He’s the latest high-profile politician to seek to reenter public life after a sex scandal derailed their career.

Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), whose term as South Carolina governor ended in 2009, recently won election to his old House seat. Former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who resigned from Congress after admitting to texting lewd photos to women, is running for New York City mayor.

Spitzer needs to collect 3,750 votes from registered Democrats by the end of Thursday to secure a spot on the September primary ballot.

Spitzer previously served as New York attorney general, where he gained fame for his tough prosecutions of financial wrongdoing on Wall Street before entering the governor’s office.  He left that post when it was revealed that he had used an escort service.

Spitzer earlier this week choked up in an emotional interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” discussing the fallout from the scandal and his hopes that voters would forgive him.

“I failed, I had flaws, made horrific judgments, was unfaithful to my family, to the electorate, and that’s why I resigned,” he said. 

“I now think after five years, a lengthy period of time, I can go to the public and say, look at the totality of who I am now,” he added.

The poll was conducted from July 8 to 9 and has a 3-point margin of error for registered voters and 4-point margin for Democrats.