Eliot Spitzer has met the deadline to file thousands of petition signatures for his bid to revive his political career by running for New York City comptroller.

Image: AP

Spitzer said that “over 27,000 signatures” were submitted to the city Board of Elections just after 10:30 p.m. Thursday, ahead of a midnight deadline. It came just four days after the tarnished ex-governor launched his campaign.

Spitzer needs 3,750 valid petition signatures to get on the Democratic primary ballot for September.

“I just want to first and foremost thank the citizens of New York that signed these petitions,” Spitzer said outside the Board of Elections office in lower Manhattan. “I want to say it’s an important statement for those who said it was not possible in the course of three and a half days to gather these signatures to get a candidate on the ballot for citywide office.”

Meanwhile, NBC said Spitzer would appear on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno Friday night. “Saturday Night Live” cast member Bill Hader, who did an impression of Spitzer in a 2010 skit, also was scheduled.

The filing may not be the last word. Spitzer’s opponents or others could challenge signatures for reasons such as incomplete addresses or missing dates.

More from AP via Talking Points Memo

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