Via Azi Paybarah's flickr

Hoping to boost the turnout of the Asian-American vote, David Weprin rolled out the endorsement of the city's top three Asian American elected officials--City Comptroller John Liu, Assemblymember Grace Meng and City Councilmember Margaret Chin.

“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of these elected leaders and look forward to our work together to protect seniors and middle class families, create jobs, and restore fiscal responsibility to the federal budget process,” Weprin said in a statement. “They will be strong partners as we work to make all levels of government work better together to serve the citizens we represent.”

The endorsements are no surprise--all three are Democrats, as is Weprin, who is challenging Republican Bob Turner to replace Anthony Weiner in Congress.

Much of the race so far has centered around issues related to Israel, and the district is one of the most Jewish in the nation. But as today's roll-out suggest, it is far from monolithic--over 17 percent of the district is of Asian descent, according to the census, and Asian voters can be swing voters.

The quotes provided on behalf of the three elected officials hammer home what has been Weprin's message over the last several weeks: preserve entitlements, balance budgets, close tax loopholes.

They can be seen below:

"As chair of the Finance Committee on the City Council, David balanced eight budgets in eight years—on time without cutting critical services,” said Liu. “His experience in balancing budgets gives him the know-how we need in Washington to protect vital programs like Medicare and Social Security while helping get our nation back on a path toward fiscal sustainability.”

 

“Support for small businesses is especially important to the neighborhoods I represent, and I know David will be a strong advocate for them in Congress,” said Assemblywoman Meng. “David will work to close the tax loopholes that big corporations abuse so we can cut taxes for small businesses to help them create jobs.”

 

“New Yorkers expect Medicare and Social Security to be there when they need it, and David Weprin is the only candidate in this race we can trust to protect these vital programs from the dangerous cuts the Republicans and Congress have proposed,” said Chin. “In Congress, David will fight for middle class families and senior citizens.”