By TimesLedger Staff
Retired Republican businessman Bob Turner upset state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) to win the race to fill the 9th District U.S. Congress seat vacated by Anthony Weiner amid scandal in June, according to preliminary results provided by the Associated Press.
The election was under national scrutiny since it was seen as a referendum on the economic and foreign policies of President Barack Obama.
If Turner is certified as the winner, it would mark the first time a Republican had won the seat in roughly a century, but as of midnight Tuesday, Weprin had not conceded the race.
Turner had a commanding lead in Brooklyn precincts, leading Weprin 70 percent to 30 percent, while Weprin had a four-point advantage in Queens, 52 percent to 48 percent, according to the AP, but Turner was winning overall as of midnight Tuesday by a 53 percent to 46 percent margin.
“There’s still a lot of votes to be counted and we’re not sure where they’re coming from,” the assemblyman said at his Election Night party in Forest Hills.
Democrat Michael Simanowitz easily won the race to take the seat vacated in April by his longtime boss, former District 27 state Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn, beating his Republican opponent, Marco DeSena, a former district leader, by a 77 to 23 percent margin, as of midnight Tuesday, the AP reported.
Simanowitz had large advantages in terms of name recognition, demonstrable related experience and campaign finances which helped him secure the election.
Democrat Phil Goldfeder, former aide to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), beat Republican District Leader Jane Deacy in the race to replace former District 23 Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent, as of midnight Tuesday, the AP reported.
The two drew on areas of partisan support within the Rockaways, but Goldfeder raised nearly twice the amount of campaign funds as Deacy, who as a citizen candidate relied more upon grassroots efforts.
City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) held onto his 28th Council District seat, trouncing his three competitors in a race that never yielded a strong opponent to challenge his incumbency.
Wills had captured 70 percent of the vote as of midnight Tuesday, the AP reported, beating former Councilman Allan Jennings, Clifton Stanley Diaz, a board member of Rochdale Village, and business owner Michael Duvalle.
Jennings, who lost to Wills during the special election to fill the seat left empty when late councilman Thomas White died, had received 16 percent of the vote, while Diaz had taken 6 percent and Duvalle had pulled in 7 percent as of midnight Tuesday, the AP reported.
