Former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer said in an interview with the New York Times that he is running for comptroller in New York City. Spitzer, who resigned as governor in 2008 after reports he used a high end escort service, also said he hopes voters will not hold his past transgressions against him.
“I’m hopeful there will be forgiveness, I am asking for it,” said Spitzer.
Prior to becoming governor in 2007, Spitzer served as New York’s attorney general from 1999 through 2006. As attorney general, he was known for aggressively prosecuting abuses in the financial industry, a role he said he hoped to play again as New York City’s comptroller.
“The metaphor is what I did with the attorney general’s office,” Spitzer said. “It is ripe for greater and more exciting use of the office’s jurisdiction.”
To get on the ballot for the primary in September, Spitzer will need to get 3,750 signatures from registered voters by next Thursday.
His entry into the comptroller’s race throws a surprising wrinkle into what was seen as an almost sure thing for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Neither Spitzer or Stringer immediately responded to requests for comment.