Tonight is the special election in New York 9 – The district formerly held by Rep. Anthony Weiner.
Republican Bob Turner, who is running for U.S. Congress in a race in New York’s heavily Democratic 9th District, speaks with the media at a polling station Tuesday in New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty)
Democrats spent Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to stave off a loss.
The Politico reported:
NEW YORK – Democrats here spent Tuesday in the final throes of a frantic, last-ditch effort to stave off a loss in the special election race to replace Anthony Weiner.
Democrat David Weprin, trailing Republican Bob Turner in multiple polls, raced to half a dozen campaign stops, imploring voters at senior centers and subway stops to cast their ballots for him.
Party officials say their best hope for winning lies on the shoulders of the vaunted Queens County Democratic Party machine, which kicked into high gear Tuesday. Inside its headquarters — which doubles as the Weprin campaign’s nerve center — get-out-the vote workers rushed to pick up manila folders containing block-by-block layouts of the district; others sat at the phones, methodically working through voter-contact lists. Volunteers fanned out across Queens, handing out glossy placards highlighting Weprin’s endorsement from the New York Times editorial page.
Despite the last-minute Democratic push, the GOP appeared poised to capture the 9th District seat – an upset that would signal a rejection of President Barack Obama on his party’s turf and underscore the peril that he and Democrats up and down the ballot could face in 2012.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a meeting with reporters, “The race is closer than we would like.”
Republican Bob Turner told ABC News that he has obtained a court order to seal all paper ballots in New York’s 9th Congressional District, pending judicial review.
** The AP is tracking results here.
UPDATE: With 30 of 512 precincts reporting the race is tied. It’s too early to see any trends.
UPDATE: (10:40 PM)
Total 45/512 (15% of the precints reporting)
Weprin – 2,550 47%
Turner 2,826 52%
UPDATE: (10:50 PM) With 100 of 512 precincts reporting or roughly 20% .
Weprin – 5,711 46%
Turner – 6,677 54%
UPDATE: (11:05 PM EST) With 30% of precincts reporting Republican Turner still leads 52% to 48% .
UPDATE: (23:30 EST) Turner still leads 51% to 49% .
Total 217/512
Weprin 49% 13,844
Turner 51% 14,401
UPDATE: (23:40 PM EST) With roughly 50% of the precincts reporting, Republican Bob Turner leaders 52% to 48% .
Total 248/512
Weprin 15,845 48%
Turner 17,408 52%
UPDATE: Who knew that Brooklyn was such a conservative bastion? Nearly 70% of voters tonight from Brooklyn precincts are supporting the Republican candidate.
UPDATE: (23:50 EST) Republican candidate Turner leads 53-46 with nearly 60% of precincts reporting.
Total 299/512
Weprin 19,071 46%
Turner 21,857 53%
UPDATE: The election was just called for Republican Bob Turner.
The Republican wins Weiner’s seat!
Remember democrats: This was a bellwether election.
The Other McCain and Legal Insurrection are also following the election tonight.
