Gary Ackerman (Photo: Facebook)

Only hours after Congressman Gary Ackerman indicated he was no longer seeking reelection, possible new candidates have already started showing interest in the Queens district he was previously running in.

In a statement sent out tonight, Assemblywoman Grace Meng, who is the only Asian-American elected official in Albany, made sure to note the new district where Mr. Ackerman was campaigning is plurality Asian and indirectly suggested she would be inclined to run if she received the Democratic establishment's backing.

"This new congressional district is heavily Asian, and I will be sitting down with our Queens Democratic Organization Chairman, Congressman Joseph Crowley, our community leaders and activists to discuss how the coming months may shape out," she said, while praising Mr. Ackerman.

Meanwhile, State Senator Tony Avella, who was drawn into the same district with Senator Toby Stavisky and could possibly use an escape hatch to avoid a competitive primary, directly told City & State he was interested in the seat and aspired to be a Congressman.

“I’m honored that people are considering me, and I have always wanted to go to Congress,” he said to the publication. “It would be a dream come true.”

Assemblyman Rory Lancman, who exited the race today, was previously thought to be so interested in a Congressional campaign he was willing to challenge Mr. Ackerman in the Democratic primary, is undoubtedly contemplating jumping back in as well. His statement today even said he "would be seeking opportunities to assume greater public responsibilities in the near future.”

Other names thrown around by politicos musing haphazardly on the topic to The Politicker include Councilman Mark Weprin, Assemblyman and former Congressional candidate David Weprin, Councilwoman Liz Crowley, and on down the list of elected officials throughout the district.

All of the above candidates are Democratic, and a Republican would have an uphill battle for the seat, which gave Barack Obama 63% of the vote in his 2008 Presidential campaign. Nevertheless, it could be winnable under the right circumstances with the right candidate, and City & State reported GOP Councilman Dan Halloran is indeed interested.

Regardless of the eventual candidates, the entire sudden situation seems rather bizarre. Mr. Ackerman had personally reached out to The Politicker Tuesday night, out of the blue, to make a specific and detailed case for why he was the perfect candidate for the district he just declined to run in today.

Rory Lancman (Photo: Facebook)

Queens Democratic Assemblyman Rory Lancman, a candidate against GOP Congressman Bob Turner, recently gave an interview to Jake Stern Radio Show of Yeshiva World News, and had a rather cute answer when pressed on his vote for gay marriage.

"Do you morally feel there is nothing wrong with same-gender marriage?" the interviewer asked. "If your son came to you, and said 'Dad, I want to have this 'same-gender marriage.' Would you have no objection, would he have your blessing?"

"First I'd have to ask if the guy's Jewish," Mr. Lancman joked, pausing before saying he'd like any child to have the same rights and opportunities as other children.

Mr. Turner won in an upset special election last summer partially due to opposition to the Democratic candidate, Assemblyman David Weprin and his vote in favor of same-sex marriage in New York. However, Mr. Lancman didn't feel it would be a significant issue in his own campaign for the seat.

"It came to the head in the Weprin race, I think, mostly because of the manner in which David articulated his support for the marriage issue, as opposed to simply whether one voted yes or no. At least that's my understanding of the concerns that were raised," he said.

This is perhaps a reference to the backlash against Mr. Weprin for citing his Jewish faith when he cast his vote. The socially conservative Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind additionally said he could never support Mr. Weprin because he felt Mr. Weprin was trying to blunt his own passionate speech on the issue.

Mr. Lancman said he's never had a lot of difficulty in articulating the issue with those who disagree.

"For me, it's just a very straightforward civil rights question. Any right or right the government is going to confer on anyone, it needs to confer that right on everyone," he explained. "When I've talked about that with people who have a different point of view, they've understood my perspective."

Update: Jews for Morality's Joseph Hayon, who's helping organize Rabbinical opposition to Councilman Lew Fidler's State Senate campaign, emails a disagreement with Mr. Lancman's assessment:

"It's official. The Queens Democratic Party is clueless. Lancman is going to get 'Weprined' right after Fidler."

David Weprin (Photo: Facebook)

Buried in a Jewish Week story on Israel potentially being a campaign issue during  Congressman Bob Turner's reelection campaign, Mr. Turner's former Democratic opponent from his special election last summer, Assemblyman David Weprin, said he might run again against Mr. Turner.

Mr. Weprin said in a Tuesday interview with the publication that he hadn’t "ruled anything in or out" regarding such a campaign. "I do have the name recognition, although I would do certain things differently if I was going to run again."

Currently, there is already one Democratic candidate decidedly in the race against Mr. Turner: Assemblyman Rory Lancman. Mr. Lancman has already raised six figures for the campaign and is a constant critic of Mr. Turner.

Mr. Weprin also told the Jewish Week that Mr. Lancman's announcement and campaign committee is premature given that Mr. Turner's district could be one of the two districts New York will have to lose in redistricting. There's been some speculation lately that, contrary to previous conventional wisdom, Mr. Turner's district will survive.

Could we see a primary competition between Mr. Weprin and Mr. Lancman? Only time will tell.

• As they say in Vegas: This town wasn't built on winners.
• Hitting the jackpot: Wouldn't be the first time he made history in Queens.
• At least he's only gambling with his money.
• Many insiders are seeing his loss as yet another referendum by machines against those pulling on them.

And so on.

[Photo via jonathanlentz.]

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

But the masterminds behind the Weprin campaign--Democratic political consultants The Parkside Group-- have been in for a little blame as well, since they managed to lose one of the most closely watched races in the nation  despite a 3-1 registration advantage.

So how are they handling the ignominy? By sending out a press release touting their victories, of course:

The Parkside Group congratulates our victorious clients in yesterday’s elections.  From the Mohawk Valley of Central New York, to the Hudson Valley communities of Rockland County, we’re honored to have worked with such great (and successful) candidates for public office.

In Rockland County, we are thrilled Lou Falco defeated heavy-favorite Tim O’Neill in a spirited Democrat Primary for Sheriff.  Despite having never run for office before, Falco bested the high-spending O’Neill, who was the Democratic nominee for the office four years ago.  We are proud to have been Lou’s general strategist and media consultant for this rough and tumble campaign.  Lou is truly a law enforcement professional and we know he’ll be a tough, fair and accomplished Sheriff.

In the Mohawk Valley, we are proud to have worked with our friends at SEIU on an independent expenditure campaign to elect Democrat Anthony Brindisi to the New York State Assembly.  In a district where Republicans are typically the victors, Brindisi currently holds a commanding 2,000 vote lead.

In Queens, we are proud to have been the chief strategists for Democrat Michael Simanowitz, who “handily defeated” his Republican opponent yesterday and will be sworn into the New York State Assembly.  We have known Michael for years and are positive that he will be a truly exceptional legislator and public servant (just like his esteemed predecessor, the Hon. Nettie Mayersohn).

Although the results weren’t what we had hoped for, we are proud to have been part of David Weprin’s campaign team in his race for Congress.  We would like to thank David, his family, his dedicated campaign staff and the thousands of volunteers who worked so hard over the last two months.  We’d also like to recognize some of the great leaders in the Democratic Party that we worked with, including the staff and leadership of the DCCC.  David may not be going to Congress, but we know he will continue his fight to improve our economy and create jobs as a powerful voice in the State Assembly.

But if the Turner race teaches us anything it is that sometimes--and it is only sometimes--structural matters are secondary, and the better campaign can actually win. And that is what happened here. Mr. Turner simply ran a campaign that outflanked Mr. Weprin at every turn. It is a banal point, but one worth remembering amidst all of the post-election chatter about Israel and Obama and machine politics, all of these only became factors once the Turner campaign made an issue of them.

To wit, consider Israel. Making this race a referendum on President Barack Obama's Middle Eastern policy was Ed Koch's idea,but the Turner team ran with it. It seemed absurd. Mr. Weprin is an Orthodox Jew who has family in Israel and who has visited there many times. Mr. Turner had no real ties to Israel. But within days, Mr. Weprin was on the phone, defending his allegiance to the Jewish State and was forced to explain how his vote to legalize same-sex marriage was a civil rights, and not a religious consideration.

From the start, the Weprin team ran a front-runner's campaign, not answering Bob Turner's attacks or coming up with their own offense. After an initial Siena poll showed Weprin with only a slight lead, the Weprin campaign vowed to toughen up their message, and they repeatedly tried to make the race about Democratic hobbyhorses--Medicaid, Social Security, the Ryan Budget. But perhaps voters were tired of it. The Turner camp threw bombs and they hit. Mr. Weprin's long career in politics enabled Mr. Turner to tie him to every scandal that had hit the City Council or the State Assembly in the last decade--slush funds, Richard Lipsky, and the like. The Ground Zero Mosque, which didn't help Rick Lazio back when the issue was actually on the front pages, somehow became important again. Not until August 17, after weeks of attacks, did Mr. Weprin punch back. A slight misstatement on the size of the national debt to the Daily News editorial board was ridden for days by the Turner campaign.

The closest that the Weprin team came to punching back was when Bob Turner said that he didn't support the 9/11 health bill passed through Congress last year and meant to pay for the health care of first responders injured in the attacks. But the narrative never caught on. The tabloids, by that point, were pasting Mr. Weprin for bringing "spies" into the the Turner campaign offices or for using "scare tactics" on area seniors. By the time the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee taped an ad with a sly reference to 9/11 in it, the race was over.

If the Weprin campaign can be cut any slack, it would be because special elections are, for lack of a better word, weird. This is the fourth in little more than three years, in New York, and the previous three were all won by Democrats in seats that were as heavily tilted towards the Republicans, as this one was towards the Democrats.  It is proof that special elections are a little like the town halls that Congressmen subject themselves to during the off-season, where the only people who show up are those who are really pissed off about something and want their voices heard.

I just called Bob Turner to congratulate him on a well-fought campaign.  He will now have the honor of representing Brooklyn and Queens in Congress, and I hope that he will work every day to represent all of the diverse communities that make up the 9th Congressional district.

I’m incredibly proud of the campaign that we ran, and incredibly grateful to the countless volunteers who worked day after day to bring our message to voters.  In doing so we raised the profile of issues like Medicare, Social Security, and tax relief for working families – issues that will be of critical importance for the next Congress.

Though we may not have won, our work is far from over.  The challenges that face our nation are many, and I will continue to work with all of my supporters to ensure that middle class New Yorkers have a real voice in our city, our state, and our country.

Although there had been some question as to when the final vote would be formally announced, since Turner yesterday had a judge block the certification of the vote, there was no need for a re-count in this one, since Weprin's loss, was, as the saying goes, a thumping.

Bob Turner voting—for himself, one would think, or at least hope—in NY-09 this morning.

As voting wraps up for the NY-09 special election to replace Anthony Weiner's congressional seat, stories of less-than-admirable tricks by supporters of both candidates—Republican Bob Turner and Democrat David Weprin—are being reported. 

Hotline On Call reports that Bob Turner's campaign—according to the Weprin team—sent out a text late last night encouraging voters to call up the Weperin campaign headquarters and jam their phone lines, in order to get between last-minute calls and the voters the Democrat's team wants to reach. Another person on Twitter saw the request go out on Facebook:

He apparently didn't screengrab it, though.

Weprin spokesperson Elizabeth Kerr responded:

"Republicans participating in phone jamming in the past have landed in jail, and there must be a full investigation into the Republican phone jamming campaign."

Turner spokesperson Bill O'Reilly adamantly denied it:

It's a serious charge: a violation of Federal Communications Law that could result in jail time.

Meanwhile, the Weprin campaign has been accused of "flooding Twitter" with false anecdotes about switching sides at the last minute, apparently:

Some voters, however, actually do remain undecided...

...Though some people have their own theories as to why:

UPDATE: There's also now the claim—from Turner spokesman Bill O'Reilly, naturally—that Weprin supporters are calling up Jewish households on behalf of Jews for Jesus (for Turner) (the idea being, of course, that Jews would supposedly never vote for anyone endorsed by Jews for Jesus).

Elsewhere:

• Poll workers in Forest Hills have reported an unexpectedly high turnout.
• The unions are making a last minute push for Weprin.
• Weprin needs a cup of coffee, or a makeup guy, or something.
• Anthony Weiner's endorsement is so costly that he didn't explain so much as having "admitted" to voting for Weprin.

See anything we should know about? We'd love to hear it.

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

[Republican Bob Turner] is a radical right-winger ready to fight alongside John Boehner and the tea party. He has promised to push for drastic budget cuts and is even on record as rejecting the Republican's budget and plan to end Medicare because it did not go far enough," wrote Mr. Crowley in a DCCC email. "The election is just one week from today. We must immediately raise $25,000 in rapid response funds to help David fight Republican attacks in these final days."

Other than Mr. Weprin, perhaps nobody has more riding on this election than Mr. Crowley. He doesn't much like to talk about his leadership of the county party, but a Weprin loss would be a crushing embarrassment, especially after Democrats there have lost a number of primaries to WFP-backed candidates and have seen Queens Republicans make gains in the City Council.

Full email below

House Republicans are investing heavily in an upcoming special election in New York in the hopes of electing another radical right-wing member to their caucus. We cannot afford to let this happen.

Republicans are trying to wrest NY-09 away from Democrats with smears and misleading attacks. Democratic candidate David Weprin is spreading his message that everyday Americans, families and seniors, not millionaires and Big Oil, should come first.

Meanwhile, his opponent is a radical right-winger ready to fight alongside John Boehner and the tea party. He has promised to push for drastic budget cuts and is even on record as rejecting the Republican's budget and plan to end Medicare because it did not go far enough.

The election is just one week from today. We must immediately raise $25,000 in rapid response funds to help David fight Republican attacks in these final days.

Please contribute $5 or more to Democrat David Weprin before tonight's One Week Out deadline. Your gift will have a direct impact on Election Day. <http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63c97e/1b93f1b2/4341b9b4/4e0ced69/3878331639/VEsH/>

David's opponent may have his deep-pocketed right-wing supporters to help him -- and national Republicans ready to swoop in -- during the final push before the election, but we are depending on grassroots supporters like you.

Your generous donation will help David with get out the vote efforts and to spread his message about the need to protect Medicare and Social Security. Even just a small gift today could go a long way.

Can you chip in today to help give David critical resources in the final days before the special election?
Please contribute right now &gt;&gt; <http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63c97e/1b93f1b2/4341b9b4/4e0ced69/3878331639/VEsE/>

Thank you,

Congressman Joe Crowley
DCCC National Finance Chair
----------------

On on side is pictured a retiree and on the other a firefighter, and the mailer warns that "Tea Party Bob Turner" is an extremist who wants to cut social security and Medicare benefits and deny 9/11 first responders health benefits in order to protect "tax breaks for the ultra-rich."

Both The Daily News and The Post endorsed Mr. Turner, and so the ad seems at least partly designed to neutralize those endorsements by using Mr. Turner's words to the papers against them.

Take a look:

NY9 Mail 9.6.11