New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner's standing with voters has plummeted since new revelations about his lewd online exchanges emerged this week, according to a survey released Thursday.
Weiner, who two years ago resigned from Congress after similar behavior became public, now is the mayoral primary pick of 16 percent of the city's registered Democratic voters, who will go to the polls in September.
That's down from the 25 percent who put him at the top of the seven-candidate field last month.
The Marist Poll, the first survey undertaken since the new details emerged early this week, was conducted for NBC 4 New York and The Wall Street Journal.
Results show Weiner is now running 10 percentage points behind City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who in last month's Marist Poll trailed the former congressman by 5 percentage points. He's polling just 2 percentage points ahead of the city's public advocate Bill de Blasio and City Comptroller Bill Thompson, who last month were trailing him by 15 and 12 percentage points, respectively.
Weiner's negative rating has also soared, the survey found. Fifty-five percent of voters told surveyors that they had an unfavorable view of the 48-year-old former congressman, up from a 36 percent unfavorable rating last month.
"New York City Democrats were willing to give Anthony Weiner a second chance but are reluctant to excuse his behavior now," Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said in a prepared statement.
Weiner during a Tuesday press conference declared his intent to stay in the race despite new evidence that he engaged in lewd online exchanges with a 23-year-old Indiana woman months after he left Congress.
His wife, Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, stood with him at the press conference, and delivered comments of support.
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