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Anthony Weiner leads race for Democratic nod for NYC mayor

Former U.S. Rep. Antony Weiner, who resigned in disgrace, leads the race for the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, a Wall Street Journal poll indicated. 2011 file photo. UPI /Monika Graff.
Former U.S. Rep. Antony Weiner, who resigned in disgrace, leads the race for the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, a Wall Street Journal poll indicated. 2011 file photo. UPI /Monika Graff. | License Photo

NEW YORK, June 26 (UPI) -- Anthony Weiner, who resigned from Congress in disgrace, leads the race for the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, a Wall Street Journal poll indicated.

Weiner leads City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for the first time while running neck-and-neck with her in a potential runoff, results of the Journal/WNBC-TV/Marist poll released Wednesday indicated.

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Weiner, who resigned his U.S. House seat two years ago in the midst of a sexting scandal, captured 25 percent of registered Democrats polled, compared with Quinn's 20 percent, the Journal said. Comptroller Bill Thompson received 13 percent, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio 10 percent and city Comptroller John Liu 8 percent.

In a potential runoff match-up, Quinn leads Weiner 44 percent to 42 percent, results indicated.

"Things are changing -- the race has been scrambled by Weiner's candidacy," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. "Weiner's candidacy has gotten more acceptable to voters since he announced, [and] Quinn's having a difficult time reversing what has been a slow but steady decline in her numbers."

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To win the Democratic nomination, a candidate must secure 40 percent of the vote or a runoff is held between the top two vote-getters.

Results are based on a survey of 1,421 voters, of which 689 were registered Democrats, conducted June 17-21. The overall margin of error is 2.9 percentage points. The margin of error is 3.7 percentage points for results involving the registered Democrats polled.

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