Amid calls from all over the political spectrum that he should drop his bid for mayor, Anthony Weiner on Monday insisted he would forge ahead with his mayoral campaign  even if it offends other politicians and Democratic operatives.

“I’m going to keep talking about things important to this city,” Mr. Weiner said after a Flushing campaign stop, Monday morning, according to Newsday. “I don’t really care if a lot of pundits or politicians are offended by that,” he added.

“I’m going to leave this to the people of the City of New York to decide. Period. End of conversation,” he said. “It’s their decision. It’s not yours. It’s not mine. It’s not some Sunday talk show pundit. It’s up to the people, and I’m going to keep fighting for them, to give them a choice.”

In an email to supporters, Mr. Weiner demonstrated the same defiance and determination.

“Well, at least they are consistent,” he wrote of critics calling for him to quit. “These same folks have been howling about me running from the moment I first got in.” Adding, only the voters, not the press, will decide whether he should be given a second/third chance.

Read full email below:

Dear……:

So here is what I learned this weekend – a lot of people who don’t have a vote, want to decide who our next Mayor will be.

TV pundits, newspaper publishers and, of course, my opponents – they’ve all made up their minds that they want to stop our campaign right now.

Well, at least they are consistent. These same folks have been howling about me running from the moment I first got in.

But this race isn’t about them. It’s about you. You should decide.

I knew that revelations about my past private life might come back to embarrass me. I never hid from that possibility. But, I waged this campaign on a bet that the citizens of my city would be more interested in a vision for improving their lives rather than in old stories about mine.

I am going to continue to lead the debate about ideas for the middle class and those struggling to make it. Soon, I will publish yet another book of ideas for New York. I will be giving more policy speeches and revamping our website to include even more ways that New Yorkers can become involved with our campaign. I’ll be showing up at community forums, televised debates, street fairs, worship services and just about everywhere that New Yorkers gather. In short, I’m going to keep doing what I’ve always done. I’m going to keep on fighting for my city.

And then you get to decide who will be our next Mayor, not them.

I hope to see you soon,

Anthony

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)