Weprin Concedes Election To Turner

Wednesday morning, Democrat David Weprin officially

In a statement, Weprin congratulated Turner on a hard-fought campaign and urged his supporters not to lose heart.

“I just called Bob Turner to congratulate him on a well-fought campaign,” Weprin said. “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.”

Members of Turner’s campaign said late Tuesday night that they were surprised the concession call didn’t come once the Associated Press had called the race for the Republican.

With just over 60 precincts left to be counted early Wednesday afternoon, Turner held a commanding 5,000 vote lead in the district, according to the Associated Press. Almost all of that advantage was coming from voters in Brooklyn, where Turner’s count had doubled up the Queens native Weprin.

Voters in Forest Hills who spoke to Patch on election day

For now, Weprin will hang on to his seat in the New York State Assembly, based in Little Neck, and pledged to keep working on the issues that are important to New York City voters.

“Though we may not have won, our work is far from over,” he added. “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.”