Bob Turner, the Republican who wants to unseat Rep. Anthony Weiner, says his poll of 4,702 people in the district, which includes Flatbush and Park Slope in Brooklyn and Forest Hills, the Rockaways and other areas in Queens, shows less than a five-point difference between the two, 52.3 for the six-term congressman to 47.7 for the upstart, when the numbers are weighted to reflect actual party registration in the 9th District.
In raw numbers Weiner beat Turner 2,538 to 2,164. The automated poll asked voters their party afiliation and their choice in the election, giving Weiner’s name first. No other questions were asked.
Bill Clinton campaigned here on Weiner’s behalf, indicating not only the congressman’s close ties with the former first couple bit also suggesting his seat may be seen as vulnerable, the Daily News’ Mike McCauliff reports.
Weiner hasn’t faced a serious challenge since he was elected after winning a heated four-way Democratic primary in 1998. In 2008 he won 93.1 percent of the vote against the Conservative Party’s Alfred Donahue, with no Republican in the race. Weiner is no doubt hoping to not only win but win big to bolster his 2013 campaign for mayor, but he’ll face the voters another time before that in two years.
Weiner and Turner, a former broadcasting executive in semi-retirement (he owns some Florida hotels) debated Thursday at 7:Our Lady of Hope Auditorium in Middle Village, Queens. I’ll post highlights as they become available.
The congressman is known to be a somewhat scrappy orator.
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