Republican Turner throws hat in ring to challenge Gillibrand

PHOTOGRAPHER: David Lombardo

Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Turner has joined the list of contenders vying for the party’s nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

The freshman representative, who was elected in a special election last summer to fill the Queens district left vacant by Anthony Weiner, joins a field of three other Republican candidates. The declared candidates include Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, Manhattan attorney Wendy Long and Town of Rye Supervisor Joe Carvin.

“I will travel to the Republican State Convention in Rochester later this week and humbly ask for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate,” Turner said in a statement.

After Friday’s Republican convention, he plans to compete for the Conservative party nomination, which appears to be locked up by Long at this point. This could change depending on what the Republicans do at their convention this Friday.

The decision to run for the U.S. Senate was prompted by plans to eliminate Turner’s district through the redistricting process, based on lines proposed by the appointed special master overseeing the state’s Congressional district lines. Because of population shifts, New York needs to eliminate two Congressional districts.

“I ran for the House six months ago as a private citizen fed up with what is happening in Washington. I could not sit and watch career politicians sink my nation deeper into economic crisis. Brooklyn and Queens voters, of all political parties, graciously responded by sending me to Congress. It now appears that their district has been eliminated,” Turner said. “There is serious work to be done to get this economy back on track, and I will not walk away from that work now. I will run for the Senate, and I will run to win.”

The convention on Friday is to secure a place on the ballot for the Republican primary election. If a candidate doesn’t get at least 25 percent support from the state’s Republican Committees, then they will have to submit petitions to appear on the ballot.

The primary election is scheduled for June 26.