Wednesday, September 14, 2011

New York 9th District Special Election: Republican Bob Turner Takes Seat Formerly Held By Anthony Weiner

New York's special election to replace Anthony Weiner has been called for the Republican candidate Bob Turner, beating out the Democratic candidate Assemblyman David I. Weprin who just a few short weeks ago was expected to win easily.

A stunning upset.

NYT:

A little-known Republican businessman from Queens, channeling voter discontent with President Obama into an upset, won election to Congress on Tuesday from the heavily Democratic district in New York City last represented by Anthony D. Weiner.

The Republican, Bob Turner, a retired cable television executive, defeated Assemblyman David I. Weprin, the scion of a prominent Democratic family in Queens, in a nationally watched special election.


Wapo:

Businessman Bob Turner (R) defeated state Assemblyman David Weprin (D) in the special election for the House seat held by former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner (D).

Turner’s victory is regarded as an upset given the Democratic history of the 9th district, which takes in portions of Brooklyn and Queens, as well as the fact that President Obama carried the seat by 11 points in 2008.

“New Yorkers put Washington Democrats on notice that voters are losing confidence in a President whose policies assault job-creators and affront Israel,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) in a statement after Turner’s win.


Headlines are hailing this as an "Obama Rebuke and said to have shaken city Democrats.
[Update] Obama Rebuke link in previous sentence leads to a headline by AP that has now been changed to a headline without the word rebuke in it. Is this AP trying to protect Obama? [End update]

Panicked Democrats, realizing that they had somehow snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, made a frantic, last-ditch effort to stave off a loss, but failed.

Earlier today, seeing the impending loss coming, the White House started spinning to explain the loss and point fingers elsewhere.

No doubt we will see Liberals tomorrow spinning madly....

.