Weiner, Spitzer Political Comebacks Fall Flat Anthony Weiner's ill-fated mayoral campaign ended with a string of final embarrassments: He mustered a mere 5 percent at the ballot box. One of his sexting partners tried to crash his primary night rally. And Weiner was caught making an obscene gesture to reporters as he was driven away. Outside a "victory" party where supporters mourned a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Democratic primary, cameras crowded around Sydney Leathers, the 23-year-old whose sexting with the former congressman brought his once-high-flying campaign to a screeching halt. Another politician with a sex scandal, Eliot Spitzer, lost the Democratic primary contest for city comptroller to Scott Stringer, the Manhattan borough president. Spitzer resigned as governor in 2008 and admitted he paid for sex with call girls. On the final campaign day for both men, the spotlight fell heavily on Weiner. His staff sneaked him into his own event, presumably to avoid Leathers, who had camped outside his headquarters all day hoping to confront him. And after a concession speech in which he got choked up as he spoke of family, a scowling Weiner was caught by a photographer giving a middle-finger goodbye to reporters as he was driven away. At one point, one of Weiner's supporters scolded Leathers, saying: "You must really be ashamed!" For his part, Weiner acknowledged in his concession speech that he was an "imperfect messenger" but also boasted of the staying power of himself and his campaign. But after an obscure gossip website named The Dirty released X-rated exchanges between Weiner and Leathers that took place well after the candidate quit the House of Representatives, Weiner - and his sexting pseudonym, Carlos Danger - once again became a national punchline. With 98 percent of precincts reporting Wednesday morning, Weiner was far behind in the city's Democratic mayoral primary. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio had 40 percent of the vote, the threshold needed to avoid triggering an automatic Oct. 1 runoff. If he cannot maintain that, he will face former city Comptroller Bill Thompson, who has 26 percent, for a potentially grueling three-week showdown, with the winner advancing to face Republican nominee Joe Lhota in the general election. Spitzer took a steadier path to his loss. He took an early lead in the polls, but the race tightened dramatically in recent weeks as the Democratic establishment rallied around Stringer, his main opponent.