Political comeback or photo finish?

With apologies to Stephen Mandel, his was not the only big mayoralty news of the past few days.

In scandal-weary Montreal, former Liberal cabinet minister Denis Coderre has joined a field of municipal candidates eager to convince voters there that only they can resist the temptations of mobsters with pockets full of cash. In scandal-weary Toronto, there’s talk of a possible mayoralty showdown between NDP member of parliament Olivia Chow and Liberal MP Bob Rae, the one-time NDP premier of Ontario, although neither have declared intentions for the job still held, albeit tenuously, by the redoubtable Rob Ford.

In New York, meanwhile, even Ford’s misadventures have been trumped by Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former U.S. congressman who on Wednesday declared his candidacy for mayor in the upcoming election.

Two years have passed since Weiner resigned his New York congressional seat amid an online sex scandal. Though he initially insisted that his account had been hacked, Weiner later admitted he had been exchanging dirty photos and messages with several women via Twitter, text, email and Facebook. He instantly became a beloved foil on the talk show circuit, including the helpful Jimmy Kimmel: “I think the lesson here is that if you’re going to send explicit pictures of yourself, send them through MySpace, where no one will notice.”

It will be impossible to cover a Weiner campaign without stumbling onto unintentional puns and most of the New York tabloids aren’t even trying. Weiner has already acknowledged there could be other lewd photos of himself lurking out there in cyberspace, yet to resurface. While late night comedians everywhere are clearly rooting for a Weiner renaissance, it is difficult to see the sexting candidate winning widespread support.

Still, the U.S. is the land of improbable comebacks. Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, also known as “Client 9” of the Emperors Club VIP prostitution service, is also said to be eyeing the New York City mayoral race. Spitzer resigned in disgrace in 2008 after his liaisons with prostitutes were made public.