Election Results of NY-9 Could Have National Implications
Political pundits say Republican Bob Turner's shocking victory over Democrat David Weprin is a message to President Obama.
In a surprising special election, Republican Bob Turner defeated Democrat David Weprin to win New York's 9th Congressional District.
Many pundits are calling the GOP-win a "rebuke" of President Obama's policies. Turner had initially shown reservations in running for the seat after losing it to disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner last year.
While Republicans say the results will deliver a blow to President Obama's re-election campaign, Democratic Party leaders like New York Senator Chuck Schumer said the loss is not a sign of things to come, "The bottom line is, it's not a bell weather district. Anybody who tries to extrapolate between what's happened in this district and what would happen in New York City, New York State, or the country is making a big mistake."
Some say the district, which has a high population of Orthodox Jews, didn't agree with the President's leadership toward Israel or Weprin's support of gay marriage.
When asked if she thought the results of the Jewish vote would affect swing states with a high Jewish population like Florida in 2012, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said she did not think the results were indicative of the overall Jewish vote. "I'm confident that the president, all over the country, will receive the overwhelming majority of the Jewish vote because of his record on Israel and his strong record on domestic issues important to the Jewish community."
In 2008, President Obama carried New York's 9th Congressional District with 55-percent of the vote.
