A new poll showing Republican Bob Turner within striking distance of Democrat David Weprin in the race to fill Anthony Weiner’s congressional post came as a shock to Democratic leaders, who vowed yesterday to mobilize their forces to hold on to the seat.
The Sienna College poll survey had Weprin leading Turner by just six points — 48 percent to 42 percent — for the Sept. 13 special election in a Queens-Brooklyn district where Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-to-1.
Meanwhile President Obama’s popularity is under water in the heavily Democratic district. Fifty-two percent of voters disapprove of the Democratic president’s performance; only 45 percent gave the chief executive a thumbs-up.
“It’s a little too close for comfort,” one top-ranking Democratic official said of Weprin’s slight lead. “This is a wake-up call.”
The source, who requested anonymity, said the party will be reaching out to labor leaders and Democrats across New York for campaign dough and foot soldiers.
“Will we ask the unions and other Democrats from outside the district to pitch in? Yes, yes, yes,” the official said.
“We don’t want to give the Republicans an argument they can use against us in 2012.”
Turner — a retired media executive who garnered 40 percent against Weiner last year — applauded the findings.
“We can win this thing. Voters of all parties are tired of career politicians who got our country into this economic mess,” said Turner campaign spokesman William O’Reilly.
Former Mayor Ed Koch, Turner’s most prominent Democratic supporter, said, “I’m elated. Turner is going to win because he’s on the right side of the issues and he has me on his side.”
While other Democrats were worried about the race, the Weprin campaign stressed its candidate was ahead.
“This poll simply confirms what we already know — that David Weprin is winning this election because New Yorkers know they can trust him to protect Medicare and Social Security and reform the tax code to make millionaires and Big Oil pay their fair share,” said campaign spokeswoman Elizabeth Kerr. She made it clear that the Weprin campaign will seek to tie Turner to the GOP’s unpopular proposal “to end Medicare as we know it.”
Turner insisted he would preserve Medicare and Social Security — a condition of his endorsement by Koch.
Washington Republicans, meanwhile, were encouraged that Turner has a real shot at winning but still stressed it’s an uphill battle.
“The Democrats still have a 130,000 advantage in voter enrollment. And if labor groups get involved, the race becomes much more difficult,” said a DC-based GOP insider tracking the race.