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Former Rep. Anthony Weiner Returns To Twitter

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner has launched a new Twitter account, returning to the forum that led to his political downfall in 2011.

The New York Democrat resigned from Congress after tweeting a lewd picture of himself and lying about his account being hacked. He later admitted trading inappropriate messages with several women.

The new account, @anthonyweiner, does not reference any mayoral run or his prior career in the U.S. House of Representatives. It only carries the description, "Fighting to keep New York City the Capital of the Middle Class," along with a link to a report to his new online policy plan, "Keys to the City: 64 Ideas to Keep New York the Capital of the Middle Class."

His first post Monday was decidedly not racy:

By mid-afternoon, there were about 3,300 people following @anthonyweiner.

He had not followed anyone himself, but had more than 3,000 followers as of Monday afternoon.

Weiner's name has emerged this month in a large field of potential Democratic candidates for New York City mayor. Speculation was further fueled by a recent New York Times Magazine profile which indicated he was considering running. Weiner said he would reveal more about his plans shortly.

A recent Marist College poll showed about half the Democrats surveyed wouldn't even consider voting for him.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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