From the start of the New York City mayoral race, Christine Quinn had it all: name recognition, an overflowing war chest and a seven-year record of accomplishment as City Council speaker. She was Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s heir apparent, on track to become the city’s first female and first openly gay mayor. Then, a month before the primary on Sept. 10, she began to slide in the polls.

This is the story of her collapse, as witnessed from within her campaign.

The New York Times approached Ms. Quinn about being the subject of a documentary early in the race, when she was the clear front-runner. Our terms were that video journalists from The Times would get unusual behind-the-scenes access, and that the footage would not become public until after the election or until she was out of the race. Win or lose, we figured that among all the candidates, Ms. Quinn would provide a compelling story, given the historic nature of her candidacy. Anthony Weiner's campaign was cratering and Ms. Quinn was ahead in the polls in early August when we began filming inside her campaign; soon after, Bill de Blasio emerged from dark horse to triumphant candidate. Through interviews and vérité scenes, this is the portrait of a candidate struggling with the harsh reality of waging a mayoral campaign in the nation’s most competitive and unforgiving media market. We witnessed hecklers at her doorstep, her sometimes tense debate preparation, her strategists' calculations as they filmed commercials, and the offstage relationship between Ms. Quinn and her wife, Kim Catullo. We were there as a devastated candidate, watching returns in her hotel room, learned that her quest was over. From the start of this project, Ms. Quinn told us there was a question of whether Ms. Catullo would even appear on camera because she was shy and uncomfortable in the spotlight. But Ms. Catullo took on an especially pivotal role, and as we began filming, she above all others became the lens through which to view the rawness of running for elective office, especially in New York City.

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