“I think there’s a misconception there. I mean, the minute he was
nominated we spent three days traveling to every media market in
Virginia together. I expect that when we close out
the race, the last push is going to be the ticket traveling around the
state again.”

— Ken Cuccinelli (R), quoted in leaked audio obtained by TPM, affirming his support for Lt. Gov. nominee E.W. Jackson (R).

Anthony Weiner mocked a British reporter with a Monty Python joke and scolded his staff in front of a media scrum.

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Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer “are finding unexpectedly strong support in black communities,” the New York Times reports.

“Repeated polling has found a racial gap in the races for mayor and comptroller: black voters are far more likely than white voters to view Mr. Spitzer and Mr. Weiner favorably, and more likely to say they deserve a second chance… Interviews with black ministers, political leaders, scholars and voters suggest two major factors at work: an emphasis in black congregations on forgiveness and redemption, and an experience, particularly among older black voters, of having seen their revered leaders embroiled in scandal.”

A new New York Times/Siena poll in New York City finds that Eliot Spitzer leads Scott Stringer in the race for city comptroller, 44% to 35%.

A new New York Times/Siena poll in New York City finds Christine Quinn leads the Democratic race for mayor with 25%, followed by William Thompson at 16%, Bill de Blasio at 14% and Anthony Weiner at 10%.

The remaining candidates in the poll each drew less than 5% and 26% of the Democratic voters surveyed were undecided.

Jeff Shapiro: “Like junk food, Terry McAuliffe is a lot of flash and sizzle; a shock to the palate; filling, not satisfying. Too much is bad for you… The Republicans’ own deeply flawed nominee for governor and the scandal that keeps on giving — Giftgate — are aligning to provide McAuliffe a clear shot at victory. But McAuliffe keeps stumbling over the same obstacle: himself.”

A new Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey finds Gov. Chris Christie (R) crushing challenger Barbara Buono (D) in the gubernatorial race, 58% to 30%.

Eliot Spitzer (D) “is unleashing a pair of new television ads Wednesday in the New York City comptroller’s race framing himself as an anti-establishment populist, a theme he has been hitting on the campaign trail since unexpectedly jumping into the race last month,” CNN reports.

“Both of the 30-second ads are titled ‘You,’ and portray Spitzer as a champion of working people standing up against special interests, corporations and Wall Street – “an independent voice,” as Spitzer’s campaign has taken to describing the former governor and attorney general.”

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Washington Post: “Even by the standards of modern political combat, the race to succeed Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) is an ugly contest between two candidates who are devoting vast resources to disparaging each other as unsuited for the job. Every day, it seems, Cuccinelli’s forces find ways to portray McAuliffe as an unethical and unprincipled carpetbagger, a political opportunist who doesn’t possess the government experience or knowledge of Virginia needed for the state’s top job. At the same time, McAuliffe’s team pounces at the chance to depict Cuccinelli as a conservative zealot who is anti-gay and anti-woman and whose views on social issues are too extreme for a state evolving into a hub of cosmopolitan life.”

A new Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey finds Cory Booker (D) with a “seemingly unbeatable lead” in next week’s Democratic Senate primary, with 54% of likely Democratic primary voters, followed by Rep. Frank Pallone (D) at 17%, Rep. Rush Holt (D) at 15% and Sheila Oliver (D) at 5%.

In a general election matchup, Booker tops Steve Lonegan (R), 54% to 29%, among registered voters.

Said pollster Maurice Carroll: “Unless the sky falls, Newark Mayor Cory Booker can start looking for a Washington apartment.”

“What are you going to do about it, grandpa?”

— Anthony Weiner, quoted by the New York Post, to a 69-year-old man who objected to Weiner touching him at an AARP mayoral forum.

New York City comptroller candidate and former madam Kristin Davis has been arrested for allegedly selling hundreds of prescription pills, NBC News York reports.

In his first public comments on the New York City mayoral race, Bill Clinton told CNN that he and his wife Hillary Clinton “are a hundred miles from that race and everyone understands that we are not going to be involved.”

He added: “Neither Hillary or I was ever involved in the political campaign, and they understood that from the beginning. There are too many people running for mayor who have been my supporters, who supported her for senator, her for president.”

There are 16 candidates running for mayor Detroit, the New York Times reports.

“The city’s finances are in the hands of a bankruptcy judge, and a state-appointed emergency manager is calling the shots at City Hall. The position of mayor, a once powerful job that now seems at best undefined, if not irrelevant, was left open when Mayor Dave Bing announced in May that he would not seek a second term. A primary election will be held on Tuesday to whittle the field down to two contenders, who will face off in a general election in November.”

Anthony Weiner tells NBC New York he is “100 percent not” having any type of online relationships with anyone now, and says for the first time he has not kept any records of his past lewd affairs.

Said Weiner: “I don’t have any of the records. I deleted everything.”

“We all are freaky. He just exposed his freaky-ism in the wrong way.”

— Jimmy McMillan of The Rent is Too Damn High Party, quoted by Politicker, endorsing Anthony Weiner in the New York City mayoral race.

Virginia lieutenant governor nominee E.W. Jackson (R) said the Democratic Party is “anti-God” and that Christians should leave it, Salon reports.

Said Jackson: “Oh, Oh, oh I do believe it. I said it because I believe that the Democrat party has become an anti-God party, I think it’s an anti-life party, I think it’s an anti-family party. And these are all things I think Christians hold to very dearly.”

Eliot Spitzer refused to respond to rumors — pushed by his arch-nemesis Roger Stone, among others — that he is engaging in an extramarital affair, Politicker reports.

Said Spitzer: “I’m so tired of the personal attacks and I’ve answered all those questions. The public cares about what I did in government and that’s what I’m going to be talking about. And that’s what the public is going to vote based on… We’ve said everything we can say about that. These are attacks that are coming from out of left field… I’ve said everything we can say about this.”