Harvey Epstein wins NYC Council primary, defeating Anthony Weiner’s comeback bid

NEW YORK (AP) — State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein has won the Democratic primary for a New York City Council seat in lower Manhattan, thwarting former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner’s long-shot attempt to return to the political stage.

Voting concluded June 24, but the winner wasn’t established until Tuesday when ranked choice voting results were released. Epstein now moves to the city’s general election in the fall.

Weiner had entered the race in the hopes of restarting his political career after it was derailed by sexting scandals. He was eventually sent to prison for sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. He finished far behind Epstein and some other candidates.

While Weiner’s candidacy brought a spotlight to the primary, Epstein also captured some unexpected attention.

Late last year, a “Saturday Night Live” sketch spoofed his name’s similarity to sex offenders Harvey Weinstein and Jeffery Epstein, with comedian John Mulaney playing the part of a candidate struggling to make clear to voters that he was not, in fact, one of the notorious sex criminals.

Harvey Epstein took the bit in stride, reposting it on his Instagram account.

The former lawyer and tenant organizer has been in the state legislature since 2018.

Weiner had been a strong Democratic voice in Congress before his political star plummeted in 2011 after he sent a lewd picture of himself to a college student on Twitter. He resigned from Congress, tried a comeback by running for New York City mayor, then got caught up in another sexting scandal. In 2017, prosecutors said he had engaged in illicit online contact with a high school student. Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor.

During the campaign, Weiner did not shy away from his past scandal, but told The Associated Press he struggled with how best to address what he had done when talking to voters.

Anthony Izaguirre, The Associated Press