NYC primary: Will political careers of Weiner, Spitzer fade into the sunset after today?

The USA Today reports on the primary being held in the Big Apple today where the Democrat winner will likely be the next mayor of NYC. Also on the ballot? Two disgraced politicos: former US Congressman Anthony Weiner and former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer:

Can Bill de Blasio win the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor on Tuesday night?

That’s the overriding question as a fraction of the city’s estimated 4.4 million voters go to the polls today to choose a Democratic and Republican nominee who will face off Nov. 5 to replace independent Michael Bloomberg.

Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

De Blasio, the city’s public advocate, surged in public opinion polls in recent weeks as he played up his plans for public schools and affordable housing, while also criticizing Bloomberg’s 12-year tenure.

He needs to win 40% to avoid an Oct. 1 runoff. Former city comptroller William Thompson, who lost to Bloomberg in 2009, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn were at least 14 percentage points behind de Blasio in the final Quinnipiac Poll of likely Democratic voters released Monday.

The Democratic nominee will face Republican Joe Lhota, a deputy mayor and budget director in Rudy Giuliani’s administration, or John Catsimatidis, a grocery store magnate.

[…]

New York City voters will also decide the fate of a pair of disgraced Democrats, former congressman Anthony Weiner and ex-governor Eliot Spitzer, whose once-promising political careers were derailed by sex scandals.

[…]

The circus-like nature of the mayor’s race ended weeks ago as Weiner’s support dropped because he acknowledged he sent salacious messages to women via the Internet as late as last year. The revelation that his sexting habits continued even after he resigned from Congress in 2011 effectively derailed his chances for mayor — a job Weiner has long coveted.

Now, Weiner is running fourth behind de Blasio, Thompson and Quinn among the six major Democratic candidates. John Liu, the city’s current comptroller, and former council member Sal Albanese round out the Democratic field.

In New York City’s other high-profile primary, Spitzer and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer are vying for the Democratic nomination for city comptroller. Stringer has been building momentum since Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 amid a prostitution scandal, stunned the political world in July that he would ask voters for “forgiveness” and run for comptroller.

Aren’t politics in NYC always “circus-like”? At least that’s my impression, anyway …

It’s pretty clear de Blasio, barring some bizarre turn-around at the polls today, will win the Democrat nomination.  The Spitzer/Stringer race, on the other hand, is not so clear cut but I predict Mr. Spitzer will, um – go down.  As they say, stay tuned!

Related: LAT – Weiner, Spitzer in uphill fight for comebacks in New York primaries