Siena Poll: Turner Leads Weprin 50-44

Oh my. This will really have Democrats in a panic.

The Republican contender in the race for former Rep. Anthony Weiner's congressional seat has vaulted ahead of his Democratic opponent in the polls.

Cable TV exec Bob Turner holds a 50-44 lead over state Assemblyman David Weprin, a new Siena College Research Institute poll shows.

The surprising survey comes four days before the special election vote in a district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one.

"Republican Turner heads into the final days of the campaign with a six-point lead in this heavily Democratic district after having trailed Democrat Weprin by six points just four weeks ago," said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.

The Siena College survey is first non-partisan poll to Turner, a political newbie, to have the lead.

The telephone poll of 886 likely voters was taken Sept. 6 to 8 and has a margin of error of 3.3 points.

Turner's campaign has called the 9th congressional race a referendum on President Obama's leadership while Weprin has held to a Democratic strategy that paints his GOP rival as a Tea Party fanatic out to destroy Medicare and Social Security.

The district has been represented by a Democrat since 1923, but swaths of it don't always vote along party lines.

Update: I have a roundup of the latest on the campaign here.