Even as colleagues and commentators continue to call on Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) to resign, a majority of voters in his district want him to stay put, although support for his re-election was weak, according to a new poll.
A NY1-Marist poll conducted Wednesday in Weiner’s district, representing parts of Brooklyn and Queens, found 56 percent of registered voters there saying that the embattled congressman should not quit. One-third said he should step down and another 12 percent were unsure.
Weiner has cited support shown in earlier polls of all New York City residents as a reason why he won’t step down. Two surveys conducted on Monday found majorities of New Yorkers saying Weiner didn’t need to resign or unsure of what they’d like to see him do.
If Weiner resists leaving, he’ll still face a House ethics investigation and could potentially lose his seat to redistricting. If he does get a shot at running for re-election, it’s not clear whether he’d win, the poll found.
Of those surveyed, 30 percent said they would definitely vote for Weiner in 2012, while 31 percent said they would definitely vote against him. Another 38 percent are undecided.
Voters also are divided on whether he will be effective in carrying out his responsibilities in Congress. Of those surveyed, 11 percent said he will be very effective, while 37 percent said he will be effective. Meanwhile, 28 percent said they think he won’t be very effective and 15 percent said he won’t be effective at all.
Meanwhile, late Thursday, two more congressional Democrats – Sens. Sherrod Brown and Dick Durbin – weighed in on the saga. Brown, of Ohio, called for Weiner to resign.
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The number two Senate Democrat, Durbin, of Illinois, didn’t go that far, but did say that Weiner finds himself in a difficult situation. “Don’t murder someone who is already committing suicide,” he said, citing a quote by Woodrow Wilson. “I think he has some serious problems that will not go away soon.”
Marist surveyed 512 adults in the 9th congressional district on June 8, with an error margin of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Of those surveyed, 411 were registered voters, with an error margin of plus or minus five percentage points.
