2011 New York's 9th congressional district special election explained

Election Name:2011 New York's 9th congressional district special election
Country:New York
Flag Year:1901
Type:by-election
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2010 United States House of Representatives elections in New York#District 9
Previous Year:2010
Next Election:2012 United States House of Representatives elections in New York#District 9
Next Year:2012
Election Date:September 13, 2011
Seats For Election:New York's 9th congressional district
Image1:File:Bob Turner, official portrait, 112th Congress (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:Bob Turner
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Alliance1:Conservative Party of New York
Popular Vote1:37,342
Percentage1:51.7%
Nominee2:David Weprin
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:33,656
Percentage2:46.6%
Before Election:Anthony Weiner
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Bob Turner
After Party:Republican Party (United States)
Map Size:200px
U.S. Representative

A 2011 special election in New York's 9th congressional district was held on September 13, 2011, to fill a seat in the U.S. Congress for New York's 9th congressional district, after Representative Anthony Weiner resigned from the seat on June 21, 2011, due to his sexting scandal.[1] Democratic Party nominee David Weprin, a member of the New York State Assembly, faced Republican and Conservative Party nominee Bob Turner, a businessman who had unsuccessfully sought the seat in 2010.

The district with over 300,000 registered voters was expected to be eliminated during the 2012 redistricting. It is strongly Democratic, where registered Democrats out number Republican by a 3-to-1 ratio.[2]

Around midnight on September 14, the Associated Press called the race for Republican Bob Turner with 70% of precincts reporting and Turner leading Weprin 53% to 47%.[3] Turner is the first Republican Congressman to represent this district in 88 years. The last Republican to represent the district was Andrew Petersen, who was elected in the Harding landslide of 1920.

Schedule

On July 1, 2011, Governor Andrew Cuomo called the special election for September 13, concurrent with state primary elections, and with special elections for six vacant seats in the New York State Assembly.[4] [5] The deadline for the selection and approval of each party's nominee was July 19.[6] Independent candidates also had the opportunity to petition their way onto the ballot collecting 3,500 signatures by July 13,[7] and had a deadline of July 18. The last day for the state and county boards to certify the ballot was July 22.[6]

Nomination process

Each of the six qualified New York parties (Democratic, Republican, Conservative, Working Families, Independence, and Green) had the opportunity to nominate candidates; the Green Party did not nominate a candidate. As the majority of the District lies within the county of Queens, each party's chairperson of this county chose the nominees: for the Democratic Party, Queens Democratic chairman, Joseph Crowley, a member of the U.S. House (representing the neighboring), and for the Republican Party, Queens Republican chairman Phil Ragusa, an accountant.[8]

Candidates

Democratic

David Weprin, a member of the New York State Assembly, was announced as the Democratic nominee on July 7, 2011. Weprin did not live in the 9th district, but rather in Holliswood, Queens in the 5th district.[9] However, as with Kathy Hochul in the 26th district election held upstate earlier in the year, this did not disqualify Weprin from seeking or holding the office; the U.S. Constitution requires only that a person be a resident of the state, not specifically a district.[10] Weprin was believed to have been nominated to serve as a placeholder who would not seek re-election should the district have been eliminated in the 2012 redistricting [11] (which subsequently happened).

Republican

Bob Turner, former CEO of Multimedia Entertainment best known for producing The Jerry Springer Show,[12] was chosen as the Republican nominee on July 8, 2011, after Councilman Eric Ulrich declined to run and Juan D. Reyes backed out of contention.[13] Turner had been a candidate for the 9th district in 2010, and was defeated by Weiner by a 39% to 61% margin.[14]

Third parties

Conservative

The Conservative Party of New York State endorsed Republican nominee Bob Turner in a July 9 meeting.[15]

Working Families

The Working Families Party endorsed Democratic nominee David Weprin on July 11.[16]

Independence

The Independence Party of New York endorsed Democratic nominee David Weprin on July 10.[17]

Liberal

The Liberal Party of New York endorsed Republican nominee Bob Turner.[18] The Liberal Party has not had automatic ballot access since 2002 and did not petition for it in this race.

Socialist Workers

The Socialist Workers Party organized a one-week petitioning effort to collect the 3,500 signatures necessary to get its candidate, Christopher Hoeppner, onto the special election ballot.[19] Hoeppner and the SWP submitted 7,080 signatures and qualified for the ballot.[20]

General election

Campaign

The seat was originally considered safe for Democrats, as registered Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one in the district,[21] but the race soon turned into a toss-up,[22] and a referendum on President Barack Obama and his party.[23] Obama's support, or lack thereof, of Israel in particular emerged as top issue in the district, with its thirty some percent Jewish voters.[24]

In early August, a Siena poll showed Weprin leading with six percent,[25] but four days before the election the poll showed Turner leading by six points,[26] and a poll done by Public Policy Polling (PPP) two days later showed the same result, which was attributed to the unpopularity of President Obama, who had already underperformed his Democratic predecessors in the district in 2008, and the issue of Israel.[27] PPP's president commented that "If Republicans win this race...it's real-world evidence of how unpopular Barack Obama is right now. Approval polls are one thing, but for the GOP to win in a heavily Democratic district like this would send a strong message about how unhappy voters are".[28]

By August 24, Weprin reported raising $451,000, double the $204,000 raised by Turner. Weprin had the assistance of labor unions and strong local party organizations, and received additional financial support from national Democrats, who spent more than $600,000 on television advertisements criticizing Turner. Senator Joseph Lieberman endorsed him,[29] Governor Andrew Cuomo and former President Bill Clinton recorded automated phone calls to voters for him, and New York Senator Charles Schumer and City Council speaker Christine Quinn campaigned with him. Turner had the support of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Governor George Pataki who made appearances with him. He also had the support of Assemblyman Dov Hikind, and former New York mayor Ed Koch, both Democrats and Jews.

Weprin, an Orthodox Jew whom Tablet Magazine described as "a nebbish-ey mustachioed man with a limp handshake and what appears to be a toupee"[30] led a gaffe-prone campaign: When asked by the New York Daily News, he estimated the national debt at $4 trillion instead of $14 trillion it was at that time,[31] and later blamed Hurricane Irene as the reason for bowing out of a scheduled debate against Turner, a day after the hurricane had passed.[32] In early September, Weprin's campaign was accused of sending volunteers to spy on Turner's campaign. Members of Weprin's campaign denied involvement.[33] Weprin did not deny the allegations, but denied knowledge, saying "I'm the candidate. I can't control who goes to everything."[34]

Turner portrayed the race as a referendum on President Obama's policies and linked Weprin to the President.[35] In the debate about the mosque near Ground Zero, Weprin has defended the "right of the mosque to build on that site". Turner chastised both him and Obama for this attitude in an advertisement, featuring images of the World Trade Center in flames.[36]

Turner advocated that the federal budget has to be cut by as much as a third, and he also wanted to lower taxes. He insisted that the cuts would not necessarily mean reducing benefits for those who depend on government funds, particularly Social Security and Medicare. The New York Times, who endorsed Weprin, said of Turner's position: "[t]hat would take a magician, not a businessman".[37]

Turner, a Roman Catholic, appealed to Jewish voters by criticizing President Obama's policies on Israel, and portraying Weprin, who is strongly pro-Israel, as being insufficiently critical of Obama's stance on Israel.[36] Former New York mayor Ed Koch supported Turner in order to send a message to President Obama "that he can no longer take the Jewish community for granted"[38] and to change what Koch described as "hostile position on the State of Israel".[39] Koch was accused of supporting Turner out of revenge for Weprin's father Saul Weprin's not supporting him in his race for governor in 1982, but Koch denied this.[38]

Weprin's vote in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in the Assembly in June 2011, angered many religious Jews,[40] who make up for about a third of the Jewish voters,[41] and led to some Flatbush Orthodox rabbis issuing a letter prohibiting Jews from voting for Weprin or donating time or money to his campaign. Turner, who opposes same-sex marriage, avoided making it an issue in the campaign,[42] following Ed Koch's advice.[43] However, he was supported by local rabbis as well as Assemblyman Dov Hikind for being against gay marriage.[44]

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
class=small Sample
size
Margin of
error
Bob
Turner (R)
David
Weprin (D)
Christopher P.
Hoeppner (S)
Undecided
Siena[45] August 3–8, 2011501± 4.4%42% align=center48%9%
McLaughlin and Associates[46] August 31, 2011300± 5.7%42%42%16%
Magellan Strategies[47] September 1, 20112055± 2.2% align=center45%40%3%12%
Siena[48] September 6–8, 2011886± 3.3% align=center50%44%6%
Public Policy Polling[49] September 8–11, 2011664± 3.8% align=center47%41%4%7%
Results (for comparison)September 13, 201172,197± 0% align=center[51.7% ][46.6% ][0.2% ][1.5% ]

Results

County Results

Countywon
by
Turner
%
Turner
votes
Weprin
%
Weprin
votes
R 66% 15,004 34% 7,739
align=centerD 46% 22,338 54% 25,917

Impact

The Republican upset victory is seen as a result of frustration with the weak national economy and considered a referendum on President Obama's economic policies.[50] Commentators and politicians have also stated that the outcome of the election indicates that concerns about Obama's stance on Israel may have played a role in the election. The district has a substantial number of Jewish voters, particularly in Brooklyn, where Weprin lost 33 to 67.[51] Many of them are ultra-Orthodox, who, while socially conservative, are fiscal liberals and sometimes will vote Republican or Russian immigrants, who tend to be politically conservative. Former New York mayor Ed Koch called the Republican win "a message to President Obama that he cannot throw Israel under a bus with impunity".[52]

National Jewish Democratic Council President David A. Harris on the other hand stated: "One thing we know beyond the shadow of a doubt is that this election was about many things, but not Israel".[53] The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose congressional district in South Florida comprises many Jewish voters, denied national ramifications saying that the district's large concentration of Orthodox Jews, who tend not to vote Democratic, made it unusual.[54] However, Turner was the only elected Republican official from areas comprising the 9th district.

Turner's victory had implications on how the political boundaries of the state of New York were drawn in 2012. The 9th district was one of the two districts to be eliminated, as the state lost congressional seats because of population changes. Turner considered running for reelection.[55] Turner nonetheless bowed out of the race after the 9th district was mostly dissolved into the newly formed 6th district, which had a greater Asian population and an even greater Democratic advantage; Turner instead ran for the U.S. Senate seat up for election in 2012, losing.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Weiner Steps Down Under Pressure . . June 16, 2011 . Devlin . Barrett . June 16, 2011.
  2. News: Blogs. New York . Daily News .
  3. Web site: New York - County Vote Results: U.S. House - District 9 - Special General. September 15, 2011. AP.
  4. Web site: Governor Cuomo Sets Special Elections for September 13 to Coincide with Statewide Primary Day . July 1, 2011 . July 1, 2011 . Governor of New York's Press Office . March 22, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322000527/http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/070111specialelection . dead .
  5. News: Johnson . Michael . July 7, 2011 . Special elections set for 9/13 . State of Politics . July 1, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120130124212/http://www.capitaltonight.com/2011/07/special-elections-set-for-913/ . January 30, 2012 .
  6. Web site: OFFICIAL SPECIAL ELECTION POLITICAL CALENDAR -Revised . State of New York State Board of Elections . July 5, 2011.
  7. News: New York's Especially Undemocratic Elections . The New York Times. Editorial. July 4, 2011 . September 20, 2011.
  8. News: Hamilton . Alec . July 7, 2011 . Now hiring: Congressional candidate . . July 7, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110710025816/http://www.wnyc.org/articles/its-free-country/2011/jul/06/now-hiring-congressional-candidate-weiner-replacement/ . July 10, 2011 .
  9. News: Democrats Pick David Weprin, an Assemblyman, to Run for Weiner's Seat . July 7, 2011 . . David . Chen. September 20, 2011.
  10. News: In Last Push, Rivals in House Race Try to Provoke a Blunder. Kaplan. Thomas. September 8, 2011. The New York Times. September 20, 2011.
  11. Web site: Joe Crowley Would Play Kingmaker Should Weiner Resign. June 10, 2011. June 13, 2011. Roll Call. Steve. Peoples.
  12. Web site: Hawkins . Andrew J. . Bob Turner, Jerry Springer And The Cowboy Outfit . Cityhallnews.com . August 29, 2011 . September 13, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111001125440/http://www.cityhallnews.com/2011/08/bob-turner-jerry-springer-and-the-cowboy-outfit/ . October 1, 2011 . dead . mdy-all .
  13. News: McManus. Maureen. July 8, 2011. It's official: GOP picks Turner for NY-9. State of Politics. July 8, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120203232427/http://www.capitaltonight.com/2011/07/its-official-gop-picks-turner-for-ny-9/. February 3, 2012.
  14. News: New York 9 House Race 2010. Huffington Post. 2010. September 21, 2011.
  15. News: Freedlander . David . July 6, 2011 . Conservative Party gives Bob Turner nod for Weiner's old seat . . July 6, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110729153043/http://www.politickerny.com/2011/07/06/conservative-party-gives-bob-turner-nod-for-weiners-old-seat/ . July 29, 2011 .
  16. News: McManus . Maureen . July 11, 2011 . Weprin picks up WFP endorsement . State of Politics . July 10, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120203042740/http://www.capitaltonight.com/2011/07/weprin-picks-up-wfp-endorsement/ . February 3, 2012 .
  17. News: Johnson . Michael . July 10, 2011 . Indy party backs Weprin in NY-9 . State of Politics . July 10, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120130111621/http://www.capitaltonight.com/2011/07/indy-party-backs-weprin-in-ny-9/ . January 30, 2012 .
  18. News: Blogs. New York . Daily News .
  19. News: Socialist Workers run in N.Y. special election. July 6, 2011. July 11, 2011. The Militant. Steve. Clark.
  20. Web site: Socialists file for N.Y. ballot spot. The Militant. Paul. Mailhot. July 25, 2011. July 20, 2011.
  21. News: Weiner. Rachel. Republican Bob Turner wins New York special election. The Washington Post. September 13, 2011. September 20, 2011.
  22. Web site: Isenstadt. Alex. Fight for Anthony Weiner's old seat sparks Dem worries. September 2, 2011. Politico. September 20, 2011.
  23. News: The New York Times . In the Race to Succeed Weiner, a Surprising Anger at Obama . Michael . Babaro . August 21, 2011 . July 14, 2013.
  24. News: Bob Turner defeats David Weprin to replace ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner. AP . September 14, 2011. Chicago Sun Times. September 20, 2011.
  25. Web site: Siena poll: Weprin up 6 in race to succeed Weiner. August 10, 2011 . Yancey. Roy. September 21, 2011.
  26. Web site: Siena College 9th Congressional District Poll: Turner Holds 6-Point Lead over Weprin with 4 Days To Go. Siena Research Institute. September 9, 2011. September 20, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110929040657/http://www.siena.edu/uploadedfiles/home/Parents_and_Community/Community_Page/SRI/SNY_Poll/9th%20CD%202011%20Special%20Poll%20Release%202%20--%20FINAL.pdf. September 29, 2011. dead.
  27. Web site: Turner poised for big upset. Public Policy Polling. September 11, 2011. September 20, 2011.
  28. News: Bob Turner, Republican candidate, holds 6-point lead over Democrat David Weprin in NY-9 race: poll. New York Daily News. Celeste. Katz. September 12, 2011. September 20, 2011.
  29. Web site: Lieberman endorses Weprin in N.Y. race. July 28, 2011. JTA. September 20, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110914155113/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/07/28/3088752/lieberman-endorses-weprin-in-ny-race. September 14, 2011.
  30. Web site: Tablet Magazine . Republican-Jewish Coalition . Ben . Jacobs . September 15, 2011 . July 14, 2013.
  31. News: Was it Irene or a Daily News editorial that made David Weprin duck a debate with Bob Turner?. August 31, 2011. New York Daily News. September 20, 2011.
  32. News: In House Race, Democrat Is Far Ahead in Fund-Raising. The New York Times. Thomas. Kaplan. September 1, 2011. September 20, 2011.
  33. News: Kriss. Erik. Len. Maniace. Ikmulisa. Livingston. 'Spy' furor for Weprin. NY Post. September 2, 2011. September 20, 2011.
  34. Web site: Russo. Melissa. Dem Accused of Sending "Spies" into Rival HQ. NBC New York. NBC New York. September 3, 2011. September 20, 2011.
  35. News: Did Israel, gay marriage or the economy make the difference in GOP's win in N.Y.?. Jewish Journal. September 14, 2011. Daniel. Treiman. September 21, 2011.
  36. News: A Scion of Queens Democrats Vies for a House Seat. The New York Times. Dan. Bilefsky. September 8, 2011 . September 20, 2011.
  37. News: For Congress in New York's Ninth District. The New York Times. Editorial. August 30, 2011 . September 21, 2011.
  38. News: To Ed Koch: An Apology & A Map To Find Your Way, by Michael Schenkler/'Surprised To Read Schenkler Column', by Ed Koch. Queens Tribune. August 4, 2011. September 23, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120202124732/http://www.queenstribune.com/not4pub/Not4Pub_080411.html. February 2, 2012.
  39. News: The New York Times. Seeing Ripple in Jewish Vote. Mark. Landler. September 14, 2011.
    News: Koch May Test His Political Voice on National Stage. Kate. Taylor. September 15, 2011. The New York Times. September 20, 2011.
  40. News: Behind Turner's Win: Jewish Voters Opposed to Gay Marriage. September 14, 2011. Alison. Fox. Pervaiz. Shallwani. Aaron. Rutkoff. Wall Street Journal. September 20, 2011.
  41. News: Turner targets conservative-leaning Jews of the Ninth, but just how conservative-leaning are they?. Capital. Dana. Rubinstein. September 7, 2011 . September 20, 2011.
  42. News: Gay-Marriage Foes See Message in House Race. The New York Times. Thomas. Kaplan. September 16, 2011. September 21, 2011 .
  43. News: Same-sex marriage a tricky issue for both David Weprin, Bob Turner. Alison. Gendar. New York Daily News. September 2, 2011. September 21, 2011.
  44. News: For Democrats, It's 2010 All Over Again. The New York Times. September 14, 2011. Nate. Silver. September 20, 2011.
  45. http://www.siena.edu/uploadedfiles/home/Parents_and_Community/Community_Page/SRI/SNY_Poll/9th%20CD%202011%20Special%20Poll%20Release%201%20--%20FINAL.pdf Siena
  46. http://www.mclaughlinonline.com/lib/sitefiles/NY_CD_09_-_Exec._Summary.pdf McLaughlin and Associates
  47. http://www.magellanstrategies.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Magellan-BR-NY-CD09-Survey-Press-Release-090611.pdf Magellan Strategies
  48. https://web.archive.org/web/20110929040657/http://www.siena.edu/uploadedfiles/home/Parents_and_Community/Community_Page/SRI/SNY_Poll/9th%20CD%202011%20Special%20Poll%20Release%202%20--%20FINAL.pdf Siena
  49. http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_NY9_9111118.pdf Public Policy Polling
  50. News: Republican wins Anthony Weiner's old House seat. CBS. AP. September 14, 2011 . September 23, 2011.
  51. Web site: The Real Winner In Last Night's Special Election: Benjamin Netanyahu. Business Insider. Grace. Wyler . September 14, 2011. September 23, 2011.
  52. News: New York's District 9 hands Obama a Jewish 'thumping'. Haaretz. September 14, 2011. Chemi. Shalev. September 23, 2011.
  53. News: Obama gets praise from Netanyahu. USA Today. September 14, 2011. David. Jackson. September 23, 2011.
  54. News: G.O.P. Gains House Seat Vacated by Weiner . The New York Times. Thomas. Kaplan. September 13, 2011. September 20, 2011 .
  55. News: Turner's Win Complicates Redistricting. Wall Street Journal. Devlin. Barrett. September 16, 2011. September 22, 2011.