Why is wiener resigning

For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. Pelosi said earlier Thursday that Democratic leaders "respectfully gave him time and his wife came home for them to talk. Back in Weiner's home district, supporters praised the congressman for working on their behalf but criticized his behavior, while opponents said good riddance.

As for Weiner's future, Rootenberg said, he "had a very good chance at being mayor, but at this point I'm not so sure. Weiner might have been next New York mayor. However, Ruben Noyman said that he never voted for Weiner and that the congressman's resignation is the "smart thing to do.

Ed Towns of New York said he hoped Weiner could "bounce back and run for something else, and knowing him, he probably will," while Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-New Jersey, said Weiner probably could have survived the scandal if he had come clean right away instead of lying about it.

From all indications, the story wasn't going away. On Wednesday, a former adult film actress currently working as a stripper said she exchanged e-mails and Twitter messages with Weiner for more than two months.

The woman, whose lawyer identified her as Ginger Lee, said in New York that Weiner asked her to lie about it after the scandal broke. Wired: How early Twitter decisions led to Weiner's downfall. Lee said that although she initially admired Weiner for his liberal views on Planned Parenthood and health care, her view of the congressman has changed. Lee said she never reciprocated when Weiner made suggestive comments. Allred said Lee, who is single, never met Weiner and never received any photographs from him.

First elected to the House in after Schumer decided to run for the Senate, Weiner has been a reliable liberal voice for the solidly Democratic 9th District, encompassing parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Weiner basically ran unopposed in and and won by 22 points over his Republican opponent in , easily avoiding the GOP tidal wave that swept over the House.

As a politician, Weiner fully embraced social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, using the platforms to unleash his comedic take on life and politics. A year later, he served on the New York City Council. He ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic mayoral primary race in Most observers now feel the scandal has ruined any chance of his being elected mayor in Share this on:. Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding.

The views of Abedin, who is pregnant with their first child, were also likely to have been crucial. She returned on Wednesday from a trip to the Middle East with Clinton and was in discussions with her husband before his announcement.

The official line taken by party leaders such as Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic chief in the House of Representatives who called on him to resign, was that the scandal was distracting attention from important political debates such as the economy. The imbroglio has fallen at a sensitive time in which the party's coffers for next year's presidential race are being filled. Key fundraisers have complained that donors were being turned off by the salacious revelations.

Weiner might have found it easier to weather the storm if he had more friends within the party. But his outspoken and irascible style earned him few protectors within Congress or the White House. Despite the almost universal pressure on him to go, there remain those in the party who lamented Weiner's passing as a prominent liberal politician who was prepared to speak out on core left-wing principles. Yes, he was a little quirky and he had an ego, but at least on the issues that liberals care about he was upfront," said Democratic strategist Victor Kamber.

Weiner now faces a bleak future.