Spitzer also abused power by selectively targeting individuals based on their political party affiliations. When Spitzer sued former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange Richard Grasso for excessive compensation, he also went after board member Ken Langone, a prominent Republican donor. …

Shortly after taking office in Jan. 2007, Spitzer threatened a Republican assemblyman, declaring ” “Listen, I’m a f—ing steamroller, and I’ll roll over you and anybody else.” In July 2007, Andrew Cuomo (Spitzer’s successor as AG and current New York governor) issued a blistering report documenting how Spitzer had asked the state police to keep records on a political rival and then selectively leaked information to the press in an effort to embarrass the GOP assemblyman.

Now, roughly five years after his downfall, Spitzer has reentered the political arena. If the signatures he collected withstand court challenges, he’ll be on the ballot for New York City Comptroller. An NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll gives him a 9-point lead, with two-thirds of Democrats saying he deserves a second chance.

Though comptroller is a much less impressive title than attorney general or governor, were he to win the election, as CNBC’s John Carney points out, Spitzer would manage New York City’s five pension funds, “which hold a total of about $140 billion in assets.”