Bob Turner

Republican Senate candidate Wendy Long today received the backing of her former primary foe, Rep. Bob Turner, who called her a candidate with “conviction, intellect and the drive” to tackle national issues.

“In November, New Yorkers will have a clear choice between a most unserious type liberal who favors higher taxes and government intervention versus a commonsense conservative who believes in limited government, individual freedom and private sector initiative,” Turner said in a statement.

Turner, a Republican star when he upset Democrat David Weprin in an upset special election to replace the disgraced Rep. Anthony Weiner, had held himself up during his subsequent Senate candidacy as the most electable candidate in the field.

He was also more moderate than Long, who criticized his call for seeking broader compromises with Democrats on taxes and spending in Washington.

But Turner’s Senate candidacy — which he committed to after it became clear that his Congressional district would be gerrymandered out of existence — angered some New York Republicans because he had pledged to seek re-election to the House.

For her part, Long this morning praised Turner as “an authentic America hero.”

“Eleven months ago, Bob shocked the world with his election to Congress and put the Obama administration on notice that the Democrat liberal orthodoxy has gone too far,” Long said. “This November, we will shock the world again and finish the work Bob started.”

Republican Senate candidates Wendy Long and Bob Turner opened up a new fissure in the primary race on Sunday, with the Long campaign filing a complaint over a robocall from ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani made on behalf of Turner.

Long announced Sunday she was filing a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission alleging that the robocall violated the law.

Specifically, the Long campaign says the robocall fails to include a message that states the nature of the call and the name of the person on behalf the message is being given.

The ad can be viewed here.

Here’s an angry quote from Long’s campaign manager, Robert Ryan:

“It’s always shocking when a sitting Congressman doesn’t know the law,” Ryan said in a statement. “Congress passed this law to protect consumers and voters alike so that they can choose whether or not to listen to a call – Turner for New York is duping voters by failing to use the proper disclaimer.”

The Turner campaign, meanwhile, seemed thrilled Sunday afternoon that their candidate’s main opponent is highlight a key endorsement.

And they say the Long people are just jealous that Giuliani, perhaps the most high-profile Republican in New York, chose to back the other guy.

From the Turner campaign:

Manhattan lawyer Wendy Long dislikes Mayor Giuliani’s endorsement of Bob Turner so much, in fact, that she is working to block Mr. Giuliani’s endorsement telephone calls by filing a false complaint with the FCC. The Long campaign is preposterously suggesting that the calls don’t make it clear that Mayor Giuliani is making the calls on behalf of and at the expense of Congressman Bob Turner’s campaign.

So what’s happening here? Well, it’s two days before the primary, one in which voter turnout is expected to be very, very low.

Point scoring and oxygen is vitally needed by all three primary campaigns, including that of Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos — especially since voter polls show most New Yorkers are in the middle of yawning when asked about the GOP Senate primary.

Long, a judicial activist, has scored a broad swath of the conservative pundits and bold-faced names in the race, but the backing of Giuliani was an important get for Turner.