Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the head of New York state’s Democratic party, said Monday it isn’t up to him to tell scandalized mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner to exit stage left what he calls a political comedy.

“This is summer political theater in New York,” Cuomo said Monday, continuing to refuse to substantively comment on Weiner’s race. “We laugh because if we didn’t laugh, we would cry, right?”

Weiner has attracted national headlines, dominated tabloid covers, and has been frequent fodder for late-night TV monologues. He held an awkward news conference pledging to stay in the New York City mayor’s race last week just after the disclosure he exchanged more inappropriate text messages with another woman – the same kind of scandal that cost him his congressional seat. His wife has stood by him, but his campaign manager has quit.

“People run, that’s the way our system works,” said Cuomo, who controls the state Democratic committee. “Anybody can run. That’s the system. I’m not going to say who should run and shouldn’t run because that’s the system.

“Who wins, however, is different and that’s where electorate comes in,” Cuomo said. “We are only in the opening act of this play.”

(AP)