By Howard Koplowitz
After U.S. Rep. Bob Turner’s (R-Kew Gardens) upset victory against state Assemblyman David Weprin in a September special election, Republicans are extending their reach into Forest Hills with a new political club.
The American Eagle Republican Club of Forest Hills held its inaugural meeting last week.
The club’s leader, Juan Reyes, was the Queens GOP’s first choice to run against Weprin after Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned in May following a sexting scandal.
The Brooklyn GOP wanted Turner, a Rockaway Point resident, to run in the special election and the Queens GOP eventually abandoned Reyes as its choice for the Republican line.
The Queens GOP could not be reached for comment on the formation of the new club.
Forest Hills has a large Jewish population that is traditionally Democratic and has seen an influx of immigrants from Russia and the former Soviet republics.
City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone), Queens GOP Chairman Phil Ragusa and Bob Capano, district manager for Turner’ office, were listed as the club’s guest speakers on its Facebook page.
Turner shocked the political establishment when he defeated Weprin in a September special election, which made Turner the first Republican to hold the seat since the 1920s.
Turner’s district covers Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Fresh Meadows, Howard Beach, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and parts of the Rockaways and Brooklyn.
The club’s invitation asked that Republicans, conservatives “and people who love freedom and believe in the greatness of America” are welcome at its meetings, which are held on the third Tuesday of each month at the Forest Hills Jewish Center, at 106-86 Queens Blvd.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
