Connecticut Republicans pitched in back in January of 2010, when Scott Brown needed help in a special senatorial election in neighboring Massachusetts, and now the party is hoping to play the same role in NY-9.
Elissa Voccola, political director of the Connecticut GOP, sent an email around seeking volunteers to travel to New York City this weekend to help Republican congressional candidate Bob Turner, locked in a surprisingly close race with Democrat David Weprin. The special election to fill the vacancy caused by Anthony Weiner's resignation will be held on Tuesday.
"Don't miss your chance to be a part of this historic special election. I am asking you to consider volunteering during the final days to help Bob turn out the vote,'' Voccola writes. "If you are available to travel to New York, they are looking for volunteers to knock on doors and make phone calls. For anyone willing to help who cannot travel to New York, the campaign has put together an online phone bank, giving us the chance to make phone calls from our homes.''
Weprin was the favorite but recent polls--including one released this morning by Siena College--show Turner pulling ahead.
The Connecticut GOP clearly views the race as a possible harbinger of the 2012 election, in much the same way some believed Brown's upset victory in Massachusetts provided a prelude to the Republican takeover of the House in 2010.
"A victory will be a huge upset to the Obama machine and carry on momentum to our important local races this fall and into the 2012 election. Bob Turner needs our help today to make history,'' Voccola writes. "It's time to make a statement against the failed policies of the Obama administration and send a message to Democrats by helping to elect a Republican to represent New York's 9th district for the first time in over 80 years."