Anthony Weiner’s circus of a mayoral campaign came to a thudding halt on Tuesday as Weiner offered his concession speech, dropping out of New York City’s Democratic primary.
With three-fifths of the vote counted, the disgraced ex-congressman had 5 percent and was in fifth place in the crowded race.
“We had the best ideas,” Weiner, who at times seemed to be holding back his emotions, said. “Sadly, I was an imperfect messenger.”
On Tuesday Weiner voted with his young son in tow, and later held an Election Night party at an Irish pub in Manhattan. His wife, Huma Abedin, did not appear with him, and she and their son weren’t mentioned in his concession speech.
“There was never any quit in this campaign,” he said in his concession speech, as he outlined his policy positions and thanked volunteers, family and staff — especially the “wonder women in this campaign.”
Weiner, a former lawmaker who resigned from Congress in 2011 over a sexting scandal, initially looked like a plausible candidate. But it all ended with graphic new revelations that he continued to have illicit online relationships even after leaving Washington.
When Weiner entered the race in May, he painted himself as a reformed family man and a fighter for the middle class. In a campaign announcement video, he appeared with his wife and their child.
