By Alex Davidson
U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) said he is running on his record as the two-term legislator seeks re-election to the 9th Congressional District that includes Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Howard Beach, parts of Bayside, the Rockaways and Brooklyn.
Weiner has one challenger, registered Democrat Alfred Donohue, a retired telephone company supervisor who lives in Brooklyn and is running on the Republican line.
“This election will be a referendum on whether I’ve done a good job the past two terms,” said Weiner, a member of the Judiciary and Science committees. “It’s fair to take a hard look at my record and go from there.”
Weiner, a Democratic whip, was first elected to Congress in 1998 after U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), was elected to the Senate and created the vacancy in the House. He was subsequently re-elected in 2000.
Weiner said his priorities for the election are to tackle the slumping economy, the ongoing war on terrorism and prescription drug coverage for senior citizens.
“I think I’ve tried to contribute to the national debate about how to make the nation safer,” Weiner said of the impact Sept. 11 had on the past congressional session. “I would hope, though, that we can return to some level of normalcy.”
Weiner said this campaign season has been unusually quiet despite the slow economy which might be expected to provoke more debate. If re-elected, he said he hopes to also address the shortage of housing in Queens and Brooklyn, and the lack of health care for seniors.
Donohue said the only similarity he shared with Weiner is that they both graduated from the James Madison High School in Brooklyn.
Donohue, a registered Democrat, said he decided to run as a Republican because he thought he was not being represented in Washington. He said he has been constrained by a lack of funds and that is why the campaign in the 9th District has been so uneventful.
“It’s ridiculous, I really can’t afford to get my message out there like I’d like to,” he said of his $2,500 campaign fund.
By contract, Weiner has raised more than $800,000 for the race, according to Open Secrets, a Web site specializing in campaign donations.
Donohue said he is against partial-birth abortions and favors parents being notified by the appropriate people when their daughters want to have abortions.
He said he supported the resolution allowing President George W. Bush to wage war against Iraq, for which Weiner also voted.
Donohue said education is one of his top priorities and that he favors school vouchers.
“I am in favor of people being able to choose the school that their children go to,” he said. “Vouchers are a good idea.”
Both candidates said they were against corporate corruption with Donohue attributing part of the U.S. economy’s woes to the recent scandals involving high-profile CEOs.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 156.
