With less than two week's to go until the special election to replace disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-New York), Republican Bob Turner has tied Democrat David Weprin according to the latest poll. This despite Mr. Weprin's huge cash advantage and the fact that Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district by a 3 to 1 margin.

Continued...

According to a McLaughlin & Associates poll of likely voters, 42% say they will vote for State Assemblyman Weprin and 42% say they will vote for retired businessman Turner. Previous polling in early August showed Mr. Weprin with a 6 point lead.

Turner's surge comes just as newly released fundraising figures show that Mr. Weprin has brought in over three times as much cash ($550,000 without any personal contributions versus $143,000 plus $65,500 of Mr. Turner's own money). But it seems money can't erase voters' growing dissatisfaction with the Democrats' national agenda nor Candidate Weprin's recent missteps.

Meanwhile in more bad news for the Democrat, The New York Daily News endorsed Mr. Turner today saying, "The people of Anthony Weiner's old congressional district will elect a successor at a time when Washington faces historic challenges in cutting the national debt and creating jobs. They should choose Bob Tuner."

Also in the endorsement is this clear contrast between the candidates: "Where Turner is a self-made office seeker, Weprin is a product of the Queens County Democratic Organization. The bosses slipped him into the City Council and the Assembly through noncompetitive primaries and special elections."

They just may not be able to slip him into Congress.

UPDATE: There's even more bad news for Team Weprin. Turner campaign spokesman William O'Reilly has charged that Assemblyman Weprin "is sending young people into Turner campaign headquarters pretending to be volunteers or college reporters. We have caught four of them already. Only a career politician scrambling to save his hide would sink to such a low."

Weprin spokeswoman Liz Kerr said, "I don't know anything about it" and declined further comment. Stay tuned.