Fulfilling the wishes of local political leaders, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Friday that a special election to fill the seat of former Representative Anthony D. Weiner would be held on Sept. 13.
The special election means that party leaders will select the candidates to represent the Ninth Congressional District, which covers parts of Queens and Brooklyn. Some good-government advocates had hoped that there would be open primaries to allow for more candidates, even though they conceded that there was no legal consensus as to whether such primaries could be held to fill a Congressional seat.
Mr. Weiner, a seven-term Democrat who was once viewed as a rising star in the party, resigned on June 16 after being felled by a scandal over his lewd online behavior. Whoever wins the Sept. 13 special election would serve out the rest of Mr. Weiner’s term, through the end of 2012.
But that candidate’s status as a freshman member of Congress could be short-lived. New York is set to lose two House seats because of the 2010 census, and many believe that Mr. Weiner’s territory will be carved up to benefit Democratic incumbents in adjoining districts.
Weiner vacated his seat in the 9th Congressional district, which covers parts of Queens and Brooklyn, on June 16 after being caught in a "sexting" scandal that spurred bi-partisan calls for the Democratic congressman's resignation.
But whoever wins the September election may not have the job for long. Due to the state's population loss, the 9th district could be pushed out in a redistricting plan that's set to finalize in 2013.
The governor's announcement comes less than seven weeks after another special election was held in the Empire State. Rep. Kathy Hochul won the 26th Congressional race in a widely-covered election that turned a Republican seat over to the Democrats.
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