Democratic congressional candidate David Weprin is ploughing at least $260,000 into TV ads during the final stretch of the campaign to fight off a strong challenge from GOP rival Bob Turner in Tuesday’s special election for disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner seat, sources said.
Weprin’s campaign has put up $157,600 for broadcast ads and $102,817 for cable — a combined $260,417. And that number could rise.
“The idea that this race is so close is a humiliation for the Democratic Party,’’ a New York Democratic official griped.
As part of the ad buy, the Weprin campaign unveiled its first TV attack ad that will link Turner to the Tea Party.
With a background of whistling music, the animated 30-second spot shows Turner popping out of a teapot and blasts his position on reduced spending for Medicare and Social Security.
The TV buy comes just days after The Post reported that popular Gov. Cuomo was willing to cut ads to help put Weprin over the top.
“He’s snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory. People in Washington are scared of losing this race. Having the widely popular governor help is a huge lift and hopefully stops the downward spiral,’’ said another prominent Democrat of the fight for the Brooklyn-Queens district.
The ad buy comes as Turner picked up a key endorsement from Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind yesterday, who said voting against Weprin sends a signal to President Obama over his policies on Israel and the economy.
Hikind said Weprin can’t have it both ways: criticizing Obama for pushing Israel to observe its 1967 borders in peace negotiations with Palestinians and backing the president’s re-election.
“You mean if [Obama] sticks knives into Israel [you’re] still going to support him?’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the lesser-financed Turner campaign said it’s bracing for an onslaught of Democratic scare attacks on Medicare and other issues.
One source close to the Weprin camp said Turner’s flippant comment on tax loopholes at a debate Tuesday night could be handy ammo in TV and radio ads. Turner, in jest, said “I never met a tax loophole I didn’t like.”
“Turner walked into a campaign commercial,’’ the Weprin insider said.
Weprin blasted Turner as “radical and out of touch’’ for the remark, claiming Turner favors multinational firms that don’t pay taxes over small businesses.
Turner responded, “Lighten up. That was a joke.’’
He then accused Weprin of costing thousands of jobs by not aggressively supporting expansions of natural-gas production, including fracking.
The Turner campaign has spent about $50,000 on “Send a Message’’ cable ads — including a piece opposing the Ground Zero mosque and Islamic center.
They declined comment on their ad strategy.