Forget about the polls, his campaign millions or even his own self-destructive need for attention, the decision on whether Anthony Weiner runs for mayor comes down to one person — his wife.
Intensely private, poised and universally adored, Huma Abedin will be crucial to rehabbing her brash husband’s tarnished image.
The limelight-loving Weiner has said his better half is warming to the idea of a mayoral run.
But the grueling campaign — and the inevitable daily rehashing of the scandal — is sure to be difficult for the famously reserved Abedin.
Her willingness to consider allowing her husband to return to public life probably stems from her devotion to Weiner, according to a source.
“It’s a very deep bond,” said the source who knows the couple. “It’s a real relationship.”
Real, but a union of polar opposites.
The glamorous Abedin admits she’s a pessimist, while Weiner is an optimist.
She’s never been on Twitter. He was so enthralled with the social media site he accidentally tweeted a picture of his bulging crotch, an excruciating mistake that ended his career in Congress.
Her ability to keep cool is legendary in political circles, while hotheaded Weiner is known for blowing up, including an infamous 2010 meltdown on the House floor directed at Republican Rep. Peter King of Long Island.
She’s Muslim. He’s Jewish.
Some political observers wonder whether Abedin would make the better candidate.
“If Huma were running for mayor, it’d be a totally different story. She’s smart and very genuine,” the source said.
Huma worked as a key aide to Hillary Clinton, and the Clintons are completely “devoted” to Huma, the source said.
Their feelings on Weiner appear to be cooler.
They never defended him when leading Democrats were calling for his resignation from Congress and have been mum on the scandal.
“That’s telling,” the source said.
In a New York Times Magazine article released on Wednesday, Weiner admitted he didn’t tell his wife the truth about the crotch shot until more than a week after the scandal broke.
The revelations left Abedin reeling.
“It was every emotion that one would imagine: rage and anger and shock,” she told the Times.
In the end, she forgave him.
“He was my best friend,” she said. “In addition to that, I loved him. . . . Here was a man I respected, I loved, was the father of this child inside of me, and he was asking me for a second chance.”
