Former TV executive Bob Turner was elected to Congress from
New York Tuesday, becoming the first Republican since the 1920s to hold the
seat formerly occupied by Anthony Weiner.
Turner, 70, who stopped working full-time in the TV business
in 2003, had been president and CEO of Pearson North America, where he launched
new versions of Family Feud and To Tell the Truth. He started Orbis
Entertainment, which was acquired by Pearson, and was also president and CEO of
Multimedia Entertainment, president of LBS Communications and general manager
of CBS Cable.
He defeated Democrat David Weprin in an upset, winning by a 54
to 46 margin, according to the Associated Press.
Turner campaigned on a platform that called for creating
jobs, supporting small business and lowering taxes. He was endorsed by former
New York City Mayor Ed Koch in a district with a large concentration of
Orthodox Jews, and his victory was seen by Republicans as a rebuke of President
Obama's policies, particularly regarding support for Israel.
