Ginger Lee speaking to the media about then-Rep. Weiner on June 15, 2011. (Photo: Getty)

Count Ginger Lee, a stripper who was intimately involved in the sexting scandal that led to former Congressman Anthony Weiner's downfall, as among his detractors as he now seeks the top job in City Hall.

"I do not think Anthony Weiner should run for Mayor of New York City because even now, nearly two years after this story broke, there are still details relating to other women that have not been exposed," Ms. Lee said in a statement sent to Politicker. "Each time Anthony Weiner deflects or obfuscates these details, my life and perhaps the lives of other women are made more difficult by the increased attention from the media."

In the lengthy statement, Ms. Lee, who held a press conference during the height of the controversy to declare that Mr. Weiner had asked her to lie about lewd emails she reportedly received from him, simply said New York City "can do better."

"At this point, I would just like to go on with my life and career in business without having to think about Anthony Weiner," she said. "I think that city of New York can do better than having a Mayor that is the butt of jokes and has been involved in scandal. Thank you."

Mr. Weiner announced his highly-anticipated mayoral campaign early Wednesday morning and has been subject to intense press coverage since. He has admitted to exchanging inappropriate communications with at least six women and urged the media to move on from the incident and subsequent cover-up.

View the entire statement, sent to Politicker through attorney Gloria Allred, below:

Statement of Ginger Lee In Response to the Decision of Anthony Weiner To Run For Mayor Of New York

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner has now decided to launch his campaign for Mayor of New York City. In 2011, when the unfortunate events that became known as "WeinerGate" occurred, members of the media, bloggers, and other intrusive parties called, emailed me, & even camped in front of my home. As I stated during the height of this scandal in 2011, I am an innocent party who just happened to agree with many of the issues Congressman Weiner championed in Washington.

I made a statement in a press conference on June 2011, and I would like to reiterate that statement today.

"When I started interacting with Anthony Weiner, it was over politics and once the electronic communication began we did communicate on a fairly regular basis. However, I did not sext Anthony Weiner. I did not send photos to him or receive any from him. Anytime that he would take our communications in a sexual direction, I did not reciprocate.

When the tweet regarding his crotch went out, I had already been told by him about a Twitter sex scandal on the horizon. At the time, I did not think it would be what it became. When the scandal broke and people started e-mailing me, I didn't know what to do. I asked Congressman Weiner. He asked me to lie about our communication.

I put out a three sentence communication that he told me to say. My statement to the press said "I haven't met Rep. Weiner. I follow him on twitter because I support him and what he stands for. I have been hounded by his political opponents but that hasn't changed my view of him and what he fights for." I didn't want to say anything further. I refused to lie so I went silent and went into hiding. Part of the reason I went silent was that he was someone I respected politically and I never thought what happened after that would happen.

However, things kept getting worse and he and I kept communicating about what I should do. Once it got to a point that he lied on national television, then I knew that anything I said after that would have to be either a lie or an admission. I didn't want to do either.

On June 2nd he called me and he told me what to say and do and how to deal with the mounting pressure from the press and how to handle it. He told me if neither of us said anything over the weekend the story would calm down and die. Therefore, I did what he told me to do. I stayed in the house, avoided cameras and photographers and hoped the scandal would die on Monday, but it did not. After all the speculation in the press, I felt that if I started talking that it would not be right.

I had already been having extremely bad lupus flair and the stress from this just made it worsen. All that I could do was get out of town. I knew I couldn't lie for him, but I couldn't be the one who kicked him under the bus. Finally, after realizing that I could no longer go through this nightmare and after receiving threats from an individual who threatened to release a statement from me which I did not authorize I contacted Ms. Allred. She helped me to understand my options and now I feel that I have the support that I need to finally speak out to tell the truth and that is what I have done today. It might never have turned into this if he had told the truth, but he kept lying. If he lied about this, I can't have much faith in him about anything else."

I also called on him to resign. The next day he did. I was glad that he resigned. I think that he made the wisest decision for himself, for his family, for everyone else drawn into this scandal and for the Democratic Party. I wished him the best and hoped that the treatment that he would receive would help him to control his impulses and make better judgments in the future. However, I have no idea if his treatment has been effective.

Even if his treatment has been effective, I do not think Anthony Weiner should run for Mayor of New York City because even now, nearly two years after this story broke, there are still details relating to other women that have not been exposed. Each time Anthony Weiner deflects or obfuscates these details, my life and perhaps the lives of other women are made more difficult by the increased attention from the media. Every new headline and news story about him reminds reporters and bloggers that we exist, and the cycle starts all over. There will be a new flair up of jokes, inaccurate statements and hurtful remarks.

At this point, I would just like to go on with my life and career in business without having to think about Anthony Weiner. I think that city of New York can do better than having a Mayor that is the butt of jokes and has been involved in scandal. Thank you.

Additional reporting by Jill Colvin.

The city's newest mayoral candidate: Anthony Weiner (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Back in November, the New York Times noted this year's mayoral race is historically significant because it lacked a Jewish candidate.

"The likelihood that no major Jewish candidate may seek to run for mayor is also the consequence of the extraordinary undoing of the political career of a man who could very well have been the Democratic front-runner at this point," the paper argued. "Anthony D. Weiner."

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning that Mr. Weiner announced his return to the race, however, and this dynamic suddenly changed. But can Mr. Weiner, still politically haunted by his lewd Twitter scandal from two years ago, build support in the city's sizable Jewish vote? After all, socially conservative constituencies, including Orthodox Jews, could be extremely turned off by the salacious nature of his downfall.

"Likud Jews, as I call them, they are conservative hawks on issues like Israel--Weiner was very popular with them," Jerry Skurnik, a veteran political consultant who focuses extensively on the city's demographics, told Politicker. "Jews are a big segment of the vote. It's not like the old days, when they would be 40 percent in a primary, but they're still a significant vote. The question is, does Weiner have too much baggage? The fact that he's Jewish does help."

Mr. Weiner's old 9th Congressional district roped in a remarkably diverse swath of Jewish voters, allowing Mr. Weiner, a legislator known more for his obsessive dedication to constituent issues rather than accomplishments in Washington, to forge ties with secular, Russian and varying degrees of conservative and Orthodox Jews in southern Brooklyn and central Queens. Representing these Jewish enclaves, he built a reputation as an ardent supporter of Israel, synagogues, yeshivas and various Jewish cultural programs.

Political consultant Jeff Leb argued Orthodox voters can even be forgiving of Mr. Weiner if he makes an earnest effort to reach out to their communities and show he is still invested in the issues that concern them most.

"I think that Anthony had a very strong base in the Jewish community prior to his unfortunate incident," Mr. Leb said. "The Jewish community could definitely be open to forgiving Anthony, provided he's open and explains himself and apologizes."

Others speculated Mr. Weiner's high-profile marriage to a Muslim could hurt him among some voters as interfaith marriages, like same-sex ones, are taboo among many Orthodox Jews. Ironically, it is Ms. Abedin's own credibility and refusal to abandon Mr. Weiner that is viewed by some political pundits as one of Mr. Weiner's few assets as he attempts to win over the general electorate.

"I think it hurt him when he ran for Congress, but it's not a deal breaker," said Michael Fragin, an Orthodox Jewish consultant and host of the political talk show Spin Class. "Weiner will definitely force other candidates to challenge their assumptions of where they can win over Jewish voters, whether it's the Upper West Side, central or eastern Queens, areas of Brooklyn heavily Orthodox or not Orthodox, like Sheepshead Bay."

Mr. Weiner's candidacy, at the minimum, seems likely to force his rivals--some of whom, including Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and 2009 nominee Bill Thompson, that have their own bases in the Jewish vote in areas far outside of Mr. Weiner's old congressional district--to adjust their outreach or tactics as they vie for a coalition that leads them straight into City Hall.

The Daily News' "What If."

When former Congressman Anthony Weiner officially launched his mayoral bid yesterday, he took the unprecedented step of releasing an announcement video in the dark of night and only granting phone interviews with the media throughout the day. Some strongly speculated the strategy was designed to dampen the pun-filled tabloid reactions by entering the race after their print deadlines. If so, the plan worked--mostly.

Mr. Weiner was indeed kept off the front pages yesterday and today, but both the New York Post and Daily News managed to slip in some loud sideswipes. The News, in particular, seemed annoyed. On page 12, an insert read, “Here's one for his scrapbook. Weiner's midnight declaration prevented him from getting on the front page. Now for a 'what if' ..."

What followed is the image above: "HE'S GOT SOME BALLS" with a photo of a shirtless Mr. Weiner. Their story on his press strategy was further entitled, "SHY WEINER Shrivels up, spends campaign day one at home."

During his campaign stop in Harlem this morning, Mr. Weiner was shown the faux cover by a reporter. Asked how he responds to waking up to headlines like this, Mr. Weiner expressed disappointment. “Actually, they did not put that on their front page, did they?" he asked, changing his tone. “Did they?”

The Post's spread.

The tabloid also ran an item entitled, "Anthony getting his chain yanked." The lead quote was Independence Party candidate Adolfo Carrión chuckling, “If he can penetrate the field, I’ll be ready for him in November.”

And although Ms. Peyser called on Mr. Weiner to "abandon your delusional hopes of becoming mayor," the Post's editorial page actually gave him props for having a substantive campaign willing to take on the tough issues.

No such luck from the News, however, which put a policy-oriented op-ed from Mr. Weiner next to an editorial mocking "The nerve of perv."

Additional reporting by Jill Colvin.

Jim Gennaro. (Photo: Getty)

Queens Councilman James Gennaro is not rolling out the welcome mat for Anthony Weiner's mayoral bid.

Indeed, Mr. Gennaro released a lengthy, 824-word statement slamming Mr. Weiner. In paragraph after paragraph, Mr. Gennaro brought up Mr. Weiner's infamous Twitter scandal that led to his downfall two years ago, arguing the former congressman's poor handling of the affair disqualified him from being anything but a distraction.

"I believe I have a common sense, practical perspective on what I consider to be the minimum qualifications to be the mayor of our city," Mr. Gennaro wrote. "And, I believe that Mr. Weiner possesses none of these qualifications."

It should be noted that Mr. Gennaro is an ally of one of Mr. Weiner's new opponents in the Democratic primary, Council Speaker Christine Quinn. A spokeswoman for Mr. Weiner did not immediately respond to the attack.

View Mr. Gennaro's entire statement below:

I’ve been privileged to serve in various capacities in city government, and have served this city for more than 30 years. For most of that time, I have worked with mayors and with the top leadership in city government on both sides of City Hall and with leaders in the business, not-for-profit and labor sectors to make my modest contribution to the governance of our great city.

As a three-term Council Member, I have authored and passed more than 30 bills, and I have also taught several different courses about New York City government at Queens College.

And although I certainly don’t presume to possess the leadership skills to be the mayor, I do believe that as a student of city government, as a teacher of city government, and — most important — as a leader in city government, I believe I have a common sense, practical perspective on what I consider to be the minimum qualifications to be the mayor of our city.

And, I believe that Mr. Weiner possesses none of these qualifications. Worse, I believe Mr. Weiner’s candidacy will be nothing more than a most unfortunate distraction in this important mayoral campaign — you may recall that President Obama used this very word, “distraction,” when the president urged him to resign his seat in the House of Representatives and indicated that his continued presence in Congress was, essentially, an impediment to the governance of the country.

But let me get back to the mayoral “minimum qualifications” that I believe Mr. Weiner does not possess.

First, I believe for any mayor to be effective he or she must possess good judgment. In my opinion, his actions in 2011 show terribly poor judgment — to say the least.

Second, in my opinion, it is critical for a mayor to be able to manage a crisis. Mr. Weiner’s management of every aspect of the crisis of his own making in 2011 was, I believe, abysmal – from the first barefaced lie about being “hacked,” to his statement that he was the victim of an “illness,” to the conclusion of the crisis when he couldn’t even orchestrate his own resignation press conference and was heckled and jeered out of the room. In my opinion, his lies and victim mentality in this episode and his overall lack of crisis management skills more than disqualify him for the mayoralty.

I believe his entry in the race would be a terrible distraction from the important issues that should be discussed in this campaign and from candidates who actually are qualified to be mayor.

Worse, I don’t believe Mr. Weiner is even entering the race with the intention of winning and serving. Rather, instead of service to the city being his objective, I believe his entry into the race would, by his own admission in recent interviews I have read, be about him; his redemption; him being able to put the sexting scandal behind him.

And that is not what this mayoral campaign is for — it is not, and should not be, in my opinion, a taxpayer-financed vehicle for Mr. Weiner’s personal redemption. This campaign is about the people and future of the greatest city in the world, and an opportunity for the people to come to know and select who will lead them into the future. It is not a vehicle for him to redeem himself, and to distract the voters from the other candidates — all of whom have served in city government with distinction or have made a positive difference in New York City.

Of course, it is his right to run, a right I would be the first to defend. And he has the right to take $1.5 million in public matching funds for his campaign. And he’s entitled to run and base his campaign on whatever rationale he wants, even if that rationale is nothing more than the latest manifestation of the same self-absorbed, self-indulgent behavior that got him into trouble in the first place.

So, yes, he has the absolute right to run, to be a distraction to the voters, and turn this mayoral campaign into his own little sideshow, to the delight of the monologue-writers for all of the late night talk-shows. I am making this statement today to urge him to abandon this campaign, and to urge others to try to convince him to abandon this campaign.

I will close by invoking once again President Obama’s sentiments from 2011 — that Mr. Weiner had become a distraction to such an extent that his presence in Congress was an impediment to the governance of the country. Nothing has changed since 2011, other than Mr. Weiner’s recent indication that if the media were to look, they would likely find more women whom had received inappropriate communications and images from him. More distractions. Therefore, I believe Mr. Weiner’s distracting presence in this mayoral campaign would not only impede but actually harm the process of electing our next mayor. In my opinion, the people deserve better.

Anthony Weiner. (Photo: Twitter)

Despite the crotch shots circulating the internet and the botched cover-up that forced him to resign from Congress in shame, ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner says he believes he can win the mayor's race.

“Yes,” he told Politicker Wednesday afternoon when asked whether he honestly thinks he can become the city's next mayor. The comments came in a phone interview hours after Mr. Weiner formally jumped into the race with a video posted on his new mayoral website.

Mr. Weiner argued that, even with a new poll showing that half of the city's Democrats don't want him in the race to begin with, the response so far has been overwhelming.

“It’s been pretty remarkable," he explained. “It’s mostly almost entirely just people calling and writing because they want to be helpful and asking for ways to do it.”

However, Mr. Weiner declined to spell out the calculus that will get him a spot in the expected run-off--where he'd face a tough one-on-one matchup with another Democrat. But he claimed the current crop of candidates were simply lacking.

“I’ll let someone else do the punditry. But I believe that at the end of the day that, as Democrats, if we’re going to prevail, it’s because we understand the struggles of the middle class and those trying to make it,” he said. “The middle class needs someone out there to represent them."

"I’m going to try to talk about some of the ideas that I have and I’m going to try to take every opportunity I can to present the challenges and how we should be addressing them," he said, dismissing the theory that he’s running now just to clear the air so he can run seriously again in another four years. He argued voters are hungry for new ideas--and the message he presented in the 2005 race. Echoing the narrative of his campaign video, Mr. Weiner pointed to his experience growing up in Park Slope, Brooklyn at a time when his parents could afford to buy a limestone duplex for $50,000.

"I care about these things very deeply," he said. "I think New Yorkers are going to respond to the message."

Furthermore, despite his late entry into the race—after a large chunk of major labor unions and borough brass have endorsed other candidates--he said he doesn’t think his timing puts him at a disadvantage.

“I don’t know if it does,” he said. “I would argue that I was there first,” he said, pointing to his work in Congress and his efforts to stop Mayor Michael Bloomberg from running for a third term in 2009. “As far as the calendar, I think it’s still--for most citizens--fairly early in the process. And I’m going to work hard.”

Mr. Weiner has been slowly hammering together a campaign team, hiring Barbara Morgan, a former spokesman for the city’s Department of Education, whom he described as “a rock star," as his spokeswoman. He also brought on Lisa Hernandez Gioia, who worked with him previously, as his new finance director.

“We’re in a good place," he said, ignoring reports that he's had difficulty attracting top-notch talent. "It’s a very professional team.”

Anthony Weiner talking to Charlie in his announcement video. (YouTube)

In Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign announcement video, released early this morning, the former congressman visits a number of locations, including his childhood home in Park Slope, his current Park Avenue South residence and two small businesses in the Midwood section of his old congressional district.

"If you're trying to run a business on a neighborhood shopping strip like this one, you're drowning in regulations that nickle and dime you to death," Mr. Weiner says as he stands on the corner of Kings Highway and East 18th Street in southeastern Brooklyn. "The very people who put everything they had into this city are getting priced right out of it."

Politicker visited the two businesses in the video to see if Mr. Weiner left an impression after talking to the owners.

"I don't know," the woman behind the counter of Vesuvius Pizzeria--who identified herself as the owner's wife--said of the situation. "He came here, they were eating actually. I think he's trying to be a mayor or something."

We asked if Mr. Weiner had a prior relationship with her husband before showing up with television cameras.

"Not really," she answered. "First time we've seen him."

Charlie, the owner of Twenty/Twenty Optical next door, was left with a more memorable impression, however. He said Mr. Weiner was simply in the neighborhood last week and dropped by.

"I knew him from the past. I thought he was a good congressman," he said. "Told him about the Verrazano Bridge [toll]--it's too high. We discussed how that's very political and difficult to deal with, but I said. 'I don't care about any of that, you got to lower it.'"

We asked him if Mr. Weiner had earned his vote.

"I haven't decided yet," he replied. "Good chance. Good possibility. I think he's a real kind of guy. I think he's sincere and I don't see anyone else better! Somebody's better's got to come along. He's a Brooklyn guy; he grew up in the hood and I like that."

He expressed surprise when we told him he was featured in Mr. Weiner's mayoral announcement video today.

Anthony Weiner. (Photo: Getty)

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who announced his highly-anticipated mayoral campaign in the wee hours of the morning today, has not managed to make up much ground in public polling since he floated his name a month ago. Indeed, his percentage in the Democratic primary--15 percent--is the exact same in today's Quinnipiac poll as the firm's April 19 survey.

According to new numbers out this morning, 49 percent of the electorate thinks Mr. Weiner should not run for mayor while just 38 percent say he should. Female voters in particular reacted with negativity at Mr. Weiner's return--52 percent said he shouldn't pursue his Gracie Mansion ambitions. This is despite Mr. Weiner's flurry of emotional television interviews seeking to soften his image in the aftermath of infamous two-year-old Twitter scandal.

“Should Weiner run? More, especially women, say no,” Maurice Carroll, the pollster's director, noted in a statement. “Weiner has been at 15 percent two polls in a row. Can he get to 16 percent?”

Overall, Mr. Weiner remains in second place, behind Council Speaker Christine Quinn, whose standing continues to slip. While several months ago Ms. Quinn was approaching the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off election, today she stands at just 25 percent. Two other candidates, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and 2009 nominee Bill Thompson, are tied with 10 percent apiece, and Comptroller John Liu is in fifth place with 6 percent.

“With former Congressman Anthony Weiner seeking the Democratic nod, it still looks like Council Speaker Christine Quinn against the guys,” Mr. Carroll said. “But where she once was brushing up against the magic 40 percent number that could get her past a run-off, the wear and tear of the campaign, and possibly the addition of Weiner, are taking a toll on the front-runner."

He added, “This poll says there’s a run-off. It just doesn’t say who’s in the runoff.”

View the full results below:

Anthony Weiner's launches his campaign. (http://www.anthonyweiner.com)

He's in. After weeks of speculation, disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner has officially thrown his hat into the mayor's race, announcing he's running with a new video posted on his revamped campaign website at midnight on Wednesday.

"Look, I made some big mistakes. And I know I let a lot of people down. But I've also learned some tough lessons," he says in the video, which opens with a family scene of the former councilman and his wife, Huma Abedin, having breakfast in their kitchen with their young son.

"I'm running for mayor 'cause I've been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you,"  he says into the camera in the 2-minute, slickly-shot reel.

The video goes on to show iconic scenes of the city and images of Mr. Weiner growing up in Brooklyn, and goes on to outline a platform that includes dropping fines for small businesses and more opportunities for the middle class.

He also gets an endorsement from his wife, Ms. Abedin, who revealed she was pregnant after the scandal broke. "We love this city and no one'll work harder to make it better than Anthony," she says, sitting next to her husband on the steps of his childhood home.

The announcement comes nearly two years to the day after Mr. Weiner destroyed his Congressional career by tweeting out a photo of his underwear-clad crotch that had been intended as a private message--and then repeatedly lying about it in interviews and at press conferences, claiming his account had been hacked. He eventually admitted to having inappropriate relationships with half a dozen women online, sending them lewd text messages and images.

At the time, the idea a comeback seemed incomprehensible.

But Mr. Weiner has been plotting one for months, beginning with a glossy New York Times profile, followed by a round of television interviews and a return to Twitter--where he has been touting proposals from a largely-recycled book of policy proposals.

Now, Mr. Weiner's entree has the power to turn the race on its head. While the scandal might give many voters pause, it also cemented Mr. Weiner's name recognition. And with more than $4 million in his campaign account, he'll be able to pack a punch.

Observers have been mixed about how Mr. Weiner will impact the field, but Public Advocate Bill de Blasio appears to have the most to lose. A long-time Brooklyn resident and fellow former councilman, Mr. Weiner is expected to appeal to the same outer-borough, ethnic whites and progressive voters who feel Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the race's early front-runner, has been too close to the current mayor.

A recent poll showed Mr. Weiner would enter the race in second place, behind only Ms. Quinn.

Update (2:13 a.m.):

It appears Mr. Weiner's campaign may have pulled the trigger earlier than intended. Shortly after the campaign's new "Weiner for Mayor" website went live, it reverted back to an older version of the site that had been up since Mr. Weiner's resignation. Then, just after 2 a.m., the mayoral version was restored.

Mr. Weiner did not respond to requests for comment on whether there had indeed been a mix-up, but sources told The Post the video wasn't supposed to be posted until later Wednesday.  The video remained available via YouTube.

Sal Albanese. (Photo: Facebook)

There are two Italian-American, relatively liberal men from Brooklyn in this year's race for mayor. One, both literally and figuratively, looms as one of the front-runners in a packed Democratic field. The other is Sal Albanese, an indefatigable former Bay Ridge councilman who delights in taking shots at his better-known, Park Slope-dwelling rival, Bill de Blasio.

"You listen to him on the campaign trail and you'd think he was the third coming of Martin Luther King Jr.," Mr. Albanese told Politicker yesterday when asked why the city's public advocate has earned his ire.

Mr. Albanese had just held a press conference denouncing Mr. de Blasio and the other mayoral candidates for hiring former political operatives to work in their government offices. Mr. Albanese held this event at the same location that Mr. de Blasio was holding his own press conference just 30 minutes later, creating an opportunity for awkwardness as the public advocate was setting up his union endorsement announcement. This was the second such Albanese press conference on the topic--the first one was held directly outside Mr. de Blasio's office.

And it's not only at press conferences. At a televised mayoral debate in early April, Mr. Albanese continued his pattern of clashing with Mr. de Blasio at public forums by needling him about his staffer's racy use of Twitter. It was one of the most direct confrontations at a debate so far.

In the interview yesterday, Mr. Albanese further labeled his Brooklyn rival "Broadway Bill" because of his celebrity endorsements, including Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon and actor Steve Buscemi.

"He's more interested in having movie stars support him than being in touch with the grassroots," argued Mr. Albanese. "He comes across as this major leader of grassroots people in New York City when in fact he's just a career politician that machinates all day long ... He's a behind-the-scenes guy and we're going to expose that."

Mr. Albanese's distaste for Mr. de Blasio even extends to his campaign staff. “How any reformer can support this guy is beyond me," his campaign manager Chris McCreight wrote on Facebook in March.

While Mr. Albanese rejects the idea that he and Mr. de Blasio are targeting overlapping subsection of voters--white, liberal, outer-borough residents disenchanted with Mayor Michael Bloomberg--political observers believe Mr. Albanese could end up with voters who would have otherwise chosen Mr. de Blasio, particularly Italian-Americans and residents of Mr. Albanese's old southwestern Brooklyn district.

When asked for a response to Mr. Albanese's aggression, a de Blasio campaign spokesman emailed a one-word reply: "Pass."

Senator D'Amato in 1996. (Photo: Getty)

In what may be the most direct and harsh attack to emerge from her campaign so far, Council Speaker Christine Quinn took her Democratic rival Bill Thompson to task today for his cross-partisan support from former Senator Al D'Amato.

"Al D’Amato isn’t just anti-woman," an email from Ms. Quinn's campaign declared to supporters, "he is anti-choice, anti-Medicare, and anti-civil rights. He also had the dubious honor of being known as the most investigated Senator in New York history."

Earlier this morning, the New York Times profiled Mr. D'Amato's extensive fund-raising efforts for Mr. Thompson. In the piece, Mr. D'Amato slammed Ms. Quinn as “a political boss in the worst sense.” Earlier this week, Mr. D'Amato also mocked  Ms. Quinn for revealing she had suffered from bulimia and alcoholism.

Reacting to this, the Quinn campaign declared that Mr. D'Amato, a Republican who lost to now-Senator Chuck Schumer in 1998, would gain a "toehold in City Hall" if his candidate won.

"Now, as the chief fundraiser for one of the Democrats running for mayor, Al D’Amato is attacking Christine Quinn," the email continued. "But fortunately, it's going to backfire. The last thing Democrats are looking for in a Mayor of New York is someone who is “proud” to have Al D’Amato’s support. Al D’Amato opposes everything Democrats stand for. Thankfully, Al D’Amato was thrown out of the U.S. Senate in 1998, but what we don’t need is Al D’Amato getting a toehold in City Hall."

For a campaign that has largely limited its attacks to barbed responses to her rivals' aggressions--usually from Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, not Mr. Thompson--Ms. Quinn's criticisms today stand out. However it was not an all-out attack. The email did not mention Mr. Thompson by name or refer directly to Mr. D'Amato's comments on her revelations. Instead, her campaign, the nominal front-runner in public polls, simply sought to position itself as one opposed to the former senator's more conservative political brand.

"Help us send a message to anti-choice, anti-Medicare, anti-gun control Al D’Amato that, as Democrats, we’re not interested in the kind of right-wing attack-style politics that are synonymous with his name," they concluded, urging volunteers to sign up to work on Ms. Quinn's behalf.

The Thompson campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.

Update (2:55 p.m.):

Mr. Thompson's campaign fired back with its own sharply-worded email to supporters titled "Character Counts" penned by two of his most prominent female supporters: Betsy Gotbaum, the former public advocate, and Merryl Tisch. In it, they described Mr. Thompson as "the only candidate with the experience and temperament to get things things done"--a not-so-veiled attack against Ms. Quinn.

Here's the full letter:

This election is about real leadership on the issues women - and all New Yorkers - care about.  For us, the choice is simple. Bill Thompson is the only candidate with the experience and temperament to get things done. He'll lead on issues like expanding equality, creating better schools, ensuring safer streets, and growing our middle class. 

That's why we're asking you to click here and join "Women for Thompson!"

Character counts. Bill is only candidate in this race who has provided the real leadership every New Yorker in every borough deserves.

Thanks again,

Merryl and Betsy

P.S. - We're with Bill - and women across New York should be too. Join Bill today by signing up for "Women for Thompson."