NYC Mayoral Poll 2013 - News Update: Disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner Leads Poll

In a sign that two formerly very powerful men could be mounting comebacks after becoming national jokes, two disgraced politicians came out strong in a new poll for the upcoming New York City elections. A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday has former Rep. Anthony Weiner leading the Democratic field in the New York City mayoral race, while Eliot Spitzer is even further ahead of the competition for the city's highest financial position, the New York City comptroller, USA Today reported.

Weiner currently has the support of 25 percent of registered Democrats that were polled about the six candidates running for the position. The most recent figures give him a slight lead over his next closest competitor, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has 22 percent of the potential vote. Weiner was a congressman, but was forced to resign two years ago due to a now-infamous sexting scandal.

In the race for city comptroller, Eliot Spitzer is enjoying a bigger cushion thanks to the support of 48 percent of those polled, with opponent Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President, trailing with 33 percent of the potential vote. Spitzer's political career was similarly derailed by scandal in recent years. He was attorney general and then governor of New York until an investigation found he had paid prostitutes as much as $80,000 during his time in office, forcing him to resign from the governor's office in 2008.

While seeing Spitzer and Weiner's names among the top-ranked candidates might seem shocking in light of their respective scandals, some believe there's a simple explanation behind their lead in the polls: better name recognition. After all, bad publicity is still publicity, and both men were frequent topics in the news and comedy bits when their scandals were first revealed.

While Spitzer and Weiner may hold the lead right now, much could happen between now and Election Day, so whether or not the disgraced politicians actually win their offices remains to be seen.