Gov. Cuomo’s smackdown of Anthony Weiner’s mayoral bid is “political gold” for the shamed sexter’s rivals, campaign sources told The Post.
“This is exactly the kind of stuff you’d use if you need to take Weiner down,” an operative in an opposing mayoral camp crowed yesterday, after Cuomo bluntly declared “shame on us” if voters elect Weiner.
If Weiner becomes a real factor in the race, New Yorkers can expect to see the governor’s pronouncement — made Wednesday during an interview with the Syracuse Post-Standard — plastered across mailers going out across the city, several sources said.
“Why wouldn’t you do that?” said a Democratic veteran with ties to a different mayoral campaign, noting Cuomo’s enormous popularity with voters.
“Cuomo’s numbers in New York are awesome.”
The insider even offered up a possible script for a rival to use in an anti-Weiner ads: “I’ve agreed with almost everything Andrew Cuomo has said as governor. This is no exception.”
“It would be fair game to use,” a third source for a Weiner rival said. “And it’s not the worst thing you can say about Weiner.”
But it’s too early in the game to use the governor’s words, the sources said. Rivals won’t draw on the valuable chit unless necessary — or if the race comes down to a runoff between two players in the crowded Democratic primary, the source added.
Cuomo on Thursday backed away from his cutting Weiner comment, saying he was just kidding.
Albany insiders aren’t buying it, but Weiner said he is.
“Cuomo said it was a joke and we have to take it at that . . . and voters should take it for themselves,” Weiner said yesterday after a meeting with the Queens Chronicle editorial board. The Queens paper was one of several in his old congressional district that Weiner schmoozed with yesterday.
“He struck me as a somewhat different Anthony Weiner than I’m used to seeing,” said Chronicle editor-in-chief Peter Mastrosimone.
“He was less aggressive and more contrite.”
Weiner discussed stop-and-frisk, education — and bringing professional soccer to Queens, Mastrosimone said.
Weiner touched off a whirlwind campaign Thursday, even adding unscheduled stops to his tour. Asked about an unannounced drop-in at the Ansonia Democratic club on the Upper West Side, his spokeswoman responded — without a hint of irony — that Weiner will be doing things “on the fly.”
“Adding stops to his day on the fly will be the rule rather than the exception during this campaign,” said Barbara Morgan.
Additional reporting by Jennifer Bain