Metro

Giuliani endorses Republican candidate to fill Weiner’s House seat

Rudy Giuliani endorsed candidate Bob Turner on Monday in the competitive race to fill Anthony Weiner’s congressional seat, becoming the second former New York City mayor to back the Republican hopeful.

Turner, a former television executive, is running against state Assemblyman David Weprin, a Democrat, in the Sept. 13 special election to succeed Weiner, who resigned earlier this year after admitting he engaged in lewd online exchanges with several women.

Both Turner and Weprin were nominated by party leaders in the district, which spans a portion of Queens and Brooklyn.

“Congress is in dire need of business leaders like Bob Turner, not another career politician,” Giuliani said in a statement released by Turner’s campaign. “This country needs to start creating jobs again and Bob Turner has the national and international business know-how to help move us in that direction.”

Giuliani endorsed Turner last year when Turner unsuccessfully attempted to unseat Weiner. Last year, Turner garnered roughly 40 percent of the vote against Weiner.

Giuliani follows former Mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat, in endorsing the conservative candidate. “Having Mayors Giuliani and Koch behind my candidacy is a tremendous momentum builder going into next month’s election,” Turner said.

Elizabeth Kerr, a spokeswoman for Weprin, accused Turner’s team of using the endorsement “to distract voters from their radical plan to end Medicare and cut Social Security.”

To read more, go to The Wall Street Journal.