Voters in New York’s 9th Congressional District will head to the polls to choose disgraced Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner’s replacement on Sept. 13, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced today.
That makes the second Tuesday in September a kind of mini-Super Tuesday for special election fans and sex scandal observers: voters in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District will also go to the polls to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Dean Heller (R) when he was appointed following disgraced Sen. John Ensign’s (R) resignation earlier this year.
As followers of previous high-profile New York specials know, there will be no primaries preceding the Sept. 13 race. Instead, state party leadership will pick the nominees. That has led to some fun (if you’re a political junkie) shenanigans in the recent past, with crazy races developing in New York’s 26th and 23rd Districts.
That’s not expected to happen this time around: Democrats are expected to hang onto the seat, despite the ugly way Weiner exited it. But then again those other two New York specials were supposed to be snoozers, too, so it’s probably too early to call it.
Hotline‘s Jessica Taylor reports on the possible contenders:
Several Democratic names have been mentioned as possible successors, although neighboring Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., who also serves as the Queens party chair, is widely seen as the kingmaker in the process. Potential candidates include former City Councilmembers Eric Gioia and Melinda Katz, City Councimembers Elizabeth Crowley and Mark Weprin, Assemblymen Rory Lancman and David Weprin, state Sen. Jose Peralta and former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman.
On the GOP side, New York City Councilman Eric Ulrich and 2010 nominee Bob Turner have both met with the National Republican Congressional Committee to discuss campaigns.
