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Anthony Weiner Creates New Twitter Handle After Scandal

By Jess Wisloski | April 22, 2013 3:57pm

NEW YORK CITY — Anthony Weiner is back on Twitter — with a new name and new ambitions.

Nearly two years since Weiner inadvertently tweeted a racy photo of himself on his now-infamous Twitter account, @repweiner, the former congressman launched a new Twitter handle Monday as he ramped up for a potential run for mayor of New York City.

"It seemed like a fresh start was in order, especially in light of all the new ideas around which I am hoping to drive conversation and debate," said Weiner, explaining the change, in an email to DNAinfo.com New York.

The new handle, @anthonyweiner — launched about 1 p.m. Monday — only had two messages posted by mid-afternoon, but already had amassed nearly 2,000 followers.

Both tweets redirected followers to a website promoting Weiner's platform, outlined in a 20-page web manual, Keys to the City, which features 64 ideas on how to improve New York for the middle class. Ideas ranged from eliminating barriers to food stamps access to adding ferry service to all five boroughs.

Weiner announced his interest in running for mayor on April 10.

As of 4 p.m. Monday, Weiner had not followed a single person from his new account. His old account remains intact, but he's only tweeted three times this year, one of which was an announcement Monday directing followers to his new account.

According to a poll released last week, Weiner would be a strong contender in the mayoral race, with 15 percent of the vote, trailing only behind current City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who polled at 26 percent.