Eliot Spitzer Clears A Major Campaign Hurdle In Spectacular Fashion

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer cleared a major hurdle in surprisingly easy fashion Thursday night in his candidacy for New York City comptroller.

Spitzer filed what he said were approximately 27,000 signatures to the New York City Board of Elections shortly after 10:30 p.m. That was more than seven times the required amount, and it came amid questions over the past few days over whether he would be able to gather enough signatures in time.

In a statement, Spitzer blasted those who he charged with trying to "thwart the effort" and thanked all those who provided their signature.

"Against the odds and all predictions — and in light of some who tried to thwart the effort — I am pleased to announce that we have collected more than 27,000 signatures in four days," Spitzer said in the statement.

"I want to thank those who assisted with this effort and the New Yorkers who signed these petitions. I pledge to stand with you against the special interests and on the crucial issues."

This doesn't mean Spitzer is officially on the ballot, as the validity of many of the hastily gained signatures will undoubtedly be challenged over the coming weeks.

Still, most experts predicted that he would need somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 signatures to be safe in the case of challenges, and he far exceeded that number Thursday night.

According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC New York/Marist College poll released on Wednesday, Spitzer leads main challenger Scott Stringer by 9 points in the comptroller race.

Stringer's campaign said he collected more than 100,000 signatures.