Republican Takes Anthony Weiner’s Seat: 3 Reasons for Upset

Republican Bob Turner will be sworn in soon to succeed Anthony Weiner in Congress, representing New York's Ninth Congressional District. He'll be the first Republican to represent it since Seymour Halpern in the late 1950s.

Turnout was low, only about 110,000. Under New York law, a special election doesn't require a primary, so Turner, a Republican, was picked by the Republican and Conservative Party bosses from Queens and Brooklyn.

Assemblyman David Weprin enjoyed the same backing from Democratic and Working Families bosses from the same boroughs. Both had two ballot lines.

The district is not the Archie Bunker district represented once by the late Geraldine Ferraro and now by Queens Democratic boss Rep. Joe Crowley, but it shares some similarities.

Here's why Turner won narrowly:

Anthony Weiner. After years of representation, Weiner quit in June after the sexting scandal that left a foul taste. He had been unbeatable for years and had clobbered Turner last November. But New Yorkers are loath to reward politicians after a scandal like this.

Upstate, Rep. Kathy Hochul became a rare Democrat to win a Republican seat this year after Rep. Chris Lee, a Republican quit in his own sex scandal. Remember the bare-chested photos?

Previously, Rep. Eric Massa, an upstate Democrat, quit in April 2010 after the snorkeling incidents related to his male staffers. Gov. David Paterson didn't call a special election until November, when voters sent a Republican, Thomas Reed, to Congress.

The moral: New Yorkers take revenge at the polls. The scandal surrounding Democratic Gov. Elliot Spitzer and the Emperors Club is too fresh.

Poor Democratic candidate. David Weprin, an assemblyman and former N.Y. City Council Member, has no charisma or special charm. True, his father was Speaker of the Assembly, but he died years ago.

Had the Democratic Party nominated a woman, such as Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, an African American, or former Assemblywoman Melinda Katz, they could have negated the sex scandal issue and sent in a woman to clean up.

A sour economy. Even in New York City, the economy is not great. The state has a high unemployment rate. Just this week, Bank of America announced 300,000 layoffs which will likely include people at New York-based Merrill Lynch.

Add the economy to all the so-called side issues such as the vote on Palestine at the United Nations, gay marriage in New York and the Obama health plan, and you give people in Brooklyn and Queens the rare chance to protest. And Bob Turner, unlike many candidates, is basically a friendly, non-threatening fellow.

He may not have the chance even to be re-elected next year because New York is slated to lose two seats in Congress. This is the one most likely to be chopped downstate, politicians say.