Client 9 in 2010? Spitzer says "No"
Eliot Spitzer fired back at the New York Post on Tuesday, saying the newspaper wrongly claimed the former governor is contemplating a return to politics.
In an article headlined "You Can't Keep a Bad Man Down," the Post cited anonymous sources as saying Spitzer has privately discussed the prospect of running for statewide office as early as 2010. Spitzer resigned in disgrace less than 18 months ago when he was revealed to be "Client 9" in a high-priced prostitution ring.
"If the stories [of running for office] were true, it would be worth talking to you guys," Spitzer said to journalists while waiting for a cab in Manhattan on Tuesday morning. "I hate to disappoint you."
Speaking on the CBS 6 News at 5:30 on Tuesday, Post State Editor and CBS 6 Political Analyst said he believes Spitzer may have leaked the information himself in hopes of drumming up publicity.
The Post article, written by Maggie Haberman, referenced the possibility of Spitzer challenging state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli or U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a Democratic primary in 2010. Neither incumbent returned CBS 6 phone calls.
A Siena Research Institute poll released on August 24 found that a plurality of voters prefer "someone else" to DiNapoli and Gillibrand, respectively, and that most voters either don't know or don't care. But political expert Helen Desfosses, speaking by phone from Virginia, said the chances of Spitzer vying for either seat are slim.
"There's no way President Obama will let him challenge Kirsten Gillibrand, and there is no way [Assembly Speaker] Sheldon Silver will support him against Tom DiNapoli," Desfosses said. "I think he could make a gradual comeback... but he could never challenge those two."
Desfosses said Spitzer should draw upon his reputation as the "Sheriff of Wall Street" as a way of regaining the public's trust. Spitzer has granted media interviews in recent months discussing the nation's financial crisis, and he has penned columns and op-eds for various newspapers and magazines.
In New York's history, only one other governor has left office amid a scandal, according to Robert Ward, Executive Director of SUNY's Rockefeller Institute of Government. William Sulzer was impeached in 1913 based on allegations - false ones, some historians believe - that he had diverted campaign contributions for his own use then lied about it.
One month later, Sulzer won a seat in the very Assembly that had voted to oust him from office.
Spitzer could conceivably follow Sulzer's lead, though Ward noted that Spitzer's style is more executive than legislative. Ward declined to speculate on whether Spitzer might run for any office.
Spitzer has not been indicted in connection with the prostitution ring.
Share your thoughts: Would you like to see Eliot Spitzer back in public office? Does the prostitution scandal that forced him to resign affect your perception of his ability to serve in office? Leave your comments below!
