While former Governor Eliot Spitzer’s leap into the race for city comptroller shocked much of the political establishment, his opponent’s campaign told Politicker today they knew Mr. Spitzer was mulling a comeback.
“I think we heard rumors two weeks ago,” said George Arzt, a spokesman for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, making them one of the few people that knew Mr. Spitzer would actually take the plunge into what was once a one-horse race. “We weren’t gearing up for it, but we were trying to nail it down. We were trying to find out if it was true.”
People with knowledge of the situation had apparently reported back to the Stringer campaign that Mr. Spitzer was seriously considering a run for comptroller. Team Stringer, however, was not able to confirm Mr. Spitzer’s intentions before yesterday. They didn’t want to put in too many phone calls and “press too many buttons,” in the words of one Stringer source. The Sunday night announcement came as a surprise, the source said.
While Mr. Stringer didn’t want to discuss his candidacy outside his home on the Upper West Side this morning, early indications are that he will be very willing to attack Mr. Spitzer directly in the one-on-one slugfest.
Mr. Spitzer, who resigned his governorship five years ago during a prostitution scandal, said he would self-fund his bid, drawing fire from the Stringer campaign. Mr. Stringer is participating in the public matching funds system and has amassed the support of virtually every Democratic elected official, union and political club in the city.
“We took [Mr. Spitzer] seriously,” the Stringer source claimed. “We have been ready for a long time.”