Howard Beach, Queens — While neither campaign, and no media outlets, are ready to declare a winner in tonight’s race, the overwhelming majority of evidence so far points to a victory for Republican Bob Turner in NY-09.
With 218 out of 512 precincts reporting, Turner leads Democrat David Weprin, 14,434 votes to 13,910, a 51-49 margin. More importantly, these results are based on returns from more than half of the precincts in Queens (178/342), compared to just 40 precincts reporting out of Brooklyn’s 170. Brooklyn is considered the more conservative slice of the district, and turnout there has been reported as particularly strong.
To win tonight, Turner needed to win Brooklyn convincingly and hold his own in the liberal parts of Queens. So far, he has accomplished this, and members of the Turner campaign staff say their internal numbers indicate that he will continue to do so. Barring any shocking developments, Bob Turner will be the Ninth district’s next congressman.
UPDATE: New numbers put Turner ahead 53-46, with over 19,000 total votes and 329 precincts reporting. Members of the Turner campaign say they think the Board of Elections are holding back the Brooklyn numbers and that’s why they’re reporting more slowly.
UPDATE II: The AP has just called the race for Turner.
UPDATE III: Turner has been on the phone with John Boehner and is about to take stage. Here’s one of the signs among the crowd:
It says “Mazel tov, Bob”.