Weprin Wins Lieberman Backing in Vote for Weiner’s Seat
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) endorsed Democrat David Weprin in a New York special congressional election that has been characterized in the press as a Jewish referendum on President Obama’s Israel policies.
“While David Weprin can be counted on to fight for the safety and security of the State of Israel, we can also rely on him to protect the seniors and working families of Brooklyn and Queens,” Lieberman said in his endorsement Thursday.
The September election to replace disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner in the heavily Jewish Brooklyn and Queens district made headlines this week when former New York City mayor Ed Koch endorsed Bob Turner, the Republican candidate.
Koch, a Democrat who previously garnered attention by breaking with his party to support the reelection of President George W. Bush in 2004, said electing Turner would send a message to Obama that his policies are not sufficiently pro-Israel.
Lieberman’s endorsement is noteworthy because he has also sharply criticized Obama’s Israel policy.
Weprin, an Orthodox Jew, is currently a member of the New York State Assembly.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
