NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein has won the Democratic primary for a New York City Council seat in lower Manhattan, thwarting former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner\u2019s long-shot attempt to return to the political stage.<\/p>\n
Voting concluded June 24<\/a>, but the winner wasn\u2019t established until Tuesday when ranked choice voting results<\/a> were released. Epstein now moves to the city\u2019s general election in the fall.<\/p>\n Weiner had entered the race in the hopes of restarting his political career after it was derailed by sexting scandals. He was eventually sent to prison<\/a> for sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. He finished far behind Epstein and some other candidates.<\/p>\n While Weiner\u2019s candidacy brought a spotlight to the primary, Epstein also captured some unexpected attention.<\/p>\n Late last year, a \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d sketch spoofed his name\u2019s similarity to sex offenders Harvey Weinstein and Jeffery Epstein,<\/a> with comedian John Mulaney playing the part of a candidate struggling to make clear to voters that he was not, in fact, one of the notorious sex criminals.<\/p>\n Harvey Epstein took the bit in stride, reposting it on his Instagram account.<\/p>\n The former lawyer and tenant organizer has been in the state legislature since 2018.<\/p>\n Weiner had been a strong Democratic voice in Congress before his political star plummeted in 2011 after he sent a lewd picture of himself to a college student on Twitter. He resigned from Congress, tried a comeback by running for New York City mayor, then got caught up in another sexting scandal. In 2017, prosecutors said he had engaged in illicit online contact with a high school student. Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor.<\/p>\n