I spoke briefly with Republican Bob Turner tonight, ahead of Tuesday’s special election in the race to replace Anthony Weiner in New York’s 9th congressional district.
“I”m going into this with a certain confidence and optimism,” Turner told me, “but polls are different than getting the vote out. We’re up against a powerful machine, and they’ve done great work in the past getting the vote out with the unions. But we’ve got a great operation this time–volunteers augmented with troops from Washington, DC and Maryland.”
I asked Turner whether he was concerned about voter fraud: “We’ve had poll-watcher meetings today in both Queens and Brooklyn. We have lawyers–about two dozen of them–manning certain polling places, and flying squads where they might be needed. So we are alert.”
On whether the race is a referendum on President Barack Obama’s policies on the economy and Israel:
“I don’t know if voters think that way. People I talk to are upset with the leaderless situation in Washington. They’re worried about losing their jobs, or having trouble finding work. They feel a general sense of frustration with the Obama administration, and that’s what they’re expressing.
“While Israel resonates everywhere, it is particularly important in the Jewish community. Obama’s handling of this [issue] has been abysmal. That is a protest opportunity, and a lot of traditional Democrats are breaking with their party as a way of expressing their displeasure.”
Meanwhile, Neturei Karta, a small group of dissident ultra-Orthodox Jews that opposes the existence of the State of Israel, has launched a radio ad on behalf of Turner’s opponent, Democrat David Weprin. They’re seizing the opportunity to attack pro-Israel members of both parties who are supporting Turner.