Some Democrats are arguing that the NY-9 race doesn’t mean anything for Obama’s 2012 chances. But according to David Weprin, the Democratic candidate who lost the NY-9 race to Republican Bob Turner, Obama has “major problems” in New York. Weprin blamed Obama’s unpopularity and Israel issues for his failed bid during an interview with Washington Jewish Week’s Adam Kredo:
My first question for Weprin was, “What happened?”
His reply: “The media, my opponent somewhat successfully made it a referendum on Obama. I don’t know if it was just Israel, but Israel certainly was a major part of it.”
Whether real or perceived, there’s “no question” that the president “has some major issues in New York,” Weprin said. “I certainly suffered from the effects of that.”
Voters, he continued, are frustrated “with the economy, with the way things are going” in general — not just on Israel.
It’s also worth noting Weprin actually distanced himself from Obama on Israel issues, but it wasn’t enough to help him win. In Nevada’s special election, the Democratic candidate also repudiated some of the president’s economic policies, and still ended up losing that race last night.
As I wrote earlier today, Democratic lawmakers have started to inch away from Obama’s jobs plan. But if NY-9 and Nevada are any indication, it might not do much good.
