Dems Hold Out Hope For Bob Turner’s Seat


by on Jan 30th, 2012

Bob Turner

With New York State set to lose two of its 29 congressional seats in the House of Representatives, the Democrats hope a Republican’s seat isn’t one of them.

Democrats are hoping that Bob Turner’s seat isn’t on the chopping block because they strongly feel that they can win it back.

“I believe it’s a Democratic seat and would be won by a Democrat,” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told the New York Daily News.

Despite Turner’s upset victory in the race to replace Anthony Weiner last year, and the ensuing media reports that claimed it as evidence that area was becoming increasingly conservative, the party believes that the congressional district remains staunchly blue. They also think Turner remains a vulnerable candidate.

Those claims are backed up by Turner’s own weak fundraising efforts. As the New York Observer’s Politicker blog noted, the congressman’s financial performance has been lackluster:

Recently elected GOP Congressman Bob Turner reported a relatively modest campaign haul today, showing just $76,000 raised with $71,000 cash on hand since the last reporting period. This is not an especially large pot of money to to proceed forward in what could be a tough reelection environment for him. For comparison, New York City’s other Republican Congressman, Michael Grimm, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars this cycle and has over a million dollars in the bank.

Other Democrats are also pushing to end the narrative that the area is becoming a Republican enclave.

“This election is going to make a big difference. This is where we draw the line in the sand. This is where we break up the firewall,” said City Councilman Lew Fidler during a meeting of the Brooklyn Young Democrats at Wheeler’s (1707 Sheepshead Bay Road). The councilman noted that any further Republican victories in the area would encourage the party to focus more on ousting other local Democrats, sparking a red wave throughout the borough. “They are not going to turn Brooklyn red,” he said.

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  • NSF

    It’d be great if seat is not eliminated by redistricting. But, more importantly, who will the Democrats run against him? They certainly have to find a more worthy candidate than their last choice–David Weprin.

  • levp

    /start of pissed-off rant

    Since we are on the subject of electoral politics: candidate’s fliers without postage are back in my mailbox…

    This time, it was from Mr. Storobin’s campaign. And I’m not even in his district!

    Only 8 month ago I thought that we’ve dealt with this issue (*cough*Bay People*cough*):

    http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/718/usc_sec_18_00001725—-000-.html
    “U.S. Code TITLE 18 § 1725. Postage unpaid on deposited mail matter
    Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits any mailable matter such as statements of accounts, circulars, sale bills, or other like matter, on which no postage has been paid, in any letter box established, approved, or accepted by the Postal Service for the receipt or delivery of mail matter on any mail route with intent to avoid payment of lawful postage thereon, shall for each such offense be fined under this title.”

    http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm#1051804
    “Domestic Mail Manual 3.1.3 Use for Mail
    Except under 3.2.11, Newspaper Receptacle, the receptacles described in 3.1.1 may be used only for matter bearing postage. Other than as permitted by 3.2.10, Delivery of Unstamped Newspapers, or 3.2.11, no part of a mail receptacle may be used to deliver any matter not bearing postage, including items or matter placed upon, supported by, attached to, hung from, or inserted into a mail receptacle. Any mailable matter not bearing postage and found as described above is subject to the same postage as would be paid if it were carried by mail.”

    Candidates, regardless of your political party affiliation, enough robbing the US Postal Service!  Deliver your stuff under the door or do what normal businesses do – mail it, like actually through the mail.

    Otherwise, Postal Inspection Service
    http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/608.htm#1095225
    and New York State Board of elections
    http://www.elections.ny.gov/Contact.html
    might pay (unneeded) attention to you…

    /end of rant

  • Old Sheepshead Hand

    As long as the Democrats put forward someone who speaks in platitudes, likes to get angry old people into hysterical frenzies (especially by encouraging wars to be fought on behalf of other countries who can actually do a good job of defending themselves without cheerleading from chickenhawks thousands of miles away), and has no actual understanding of how government works and thinks of government services as a breezy way to spend their retirement from a monopolized industry, they should do just fine.