Spitzer: I'm Running For NYC Comptroller

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 while in the midst of a prostitution scandal, has announced his candidacy for New York City comptroller.

Spitzer, 54, sounding restless after an unwelcome hiatus from government, said he had re-envisioned the often-overlooked office and yearned to resurrect the kind of aggressive role he played as New York State’s attorney general. He said that after consulting with his family and taking the temperature of the city’s ever-candid electorate, he believed New Yorkers would be open to his candidacy. “I’m hopeful there will be forgiveness, I am asking for it,” he said in the telephone interview on Sunday night. His re-emergence comes in an era when politicians — like Representative Mark Sanford of South Carolina and the New York mayoral contender Anthony D. Weiner — have shown that public disapproval, especially over sexual misconduct, can be fleeting, and that voters seem receptive to those who seek forgiveness and redemption.

Spitzer faces a strong opponent in Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, whom most had predicted would glide to an easy win. According to the New York Times, Spitzer is expected to spend millions of his own money to seek the comptroller position and will not accept sharing funds from the city's campaign finance system.