The Republican candidate is in a strong position heading into Tuesday’s special election in the heavily Democratic Congressional district formerly represented by Anthony D. Weiner, according to a new poll released on Friday.

Fifty percent of likely voters in New York’s Ninth Congressional District supported the Republican, Bob Turner, compared with 44 percent who supported his Democratic opponent, Assemblyman David I. Weprin, according to the poll (pdf), conducted from Tuesday to Thursday by the Siena Research Institute.

The following statement was released to YWN by the Turner campaign:

“Queens and Brooklyn voters of all political parties are sending a terse telegram to President Obama that they are unhappy with his economic agenda and his hostile stance toward Israel.  Today’s Siena Poll captures that in a snap-shot.

“Businessman Bob Turner is receiving strong bi-partisan support in the race, led by former Mayor Ed Koch and Assemblyman Dov Hikind, because he represents a break with the machine politics and politicians who have killed job-growth in this nation and put us into crisis-level debt.  Voters are also rejecting career politician David Weprin’s highly negative campaign, particularly his abhorrent strategy of trying to frighten senior citizens – the strategy that Mayor Koch has repeatedly asked Mr. Weprin to ‘knock off.’

“President Obama and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are sending hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of Obama for America ground troops into Queens and Brooklyn to try to quell this revolt against Mr. Obama’s agenda. Judging from what we’re hearing on the street, that Washington-driven effort will fail.  The voters of Brooklyn and Queens are speaking to Mr. Obama through this contest, and they will not be silenced.” -William O’Reilly, Turner campaign spokesman.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)