Bob Turner, who won a special election on Tuesday to replace Anthony D. Weiner in the Ninth Congressional district, emerged onto his porch in Rockaway Point, Queens, at 9:45 Wednesday morning in shorts and T-shirt and with bare feet, still somewhat groggy from his late-night victory party and surprised to find a reporter and photographer waiting in his yard.  “I thought my 15 minutes was over,” he said as he bent down to pick up his newspaper.  Asked if his victory had sunk in, Mr. Turner said that it had, and that now was “the hard part — getting the job done.” He said he was not sure yet when he would be sworn in. “I got late word that we may postpone this a few days,” he said, “which would be wonderful — I could use the sleep.”  Much of the rest of Mr. Turner’s neighborhood, which is on the beach and accessible only by footpaths, seemed to be sleeping, as well.  “I think they were up last night waiting for the results,” said a neighbor, Bob Wipper, 66. “I’ve never seen it so quiet.” Mr. Wipper, who described himself as a conservative, said he was thrilled with Mr. Turner’s victory, as did a dozen other neighbors who walked, jogged or biked by on the promenade running between Mr. Turner’s house and the beach.  Rockaway Point is part of Breezy Point, an enclave near the western tip of the Rockaway peninsula run by the Breezy Point Cooperative. The houses are mostly modest beach bungalows; residents walk or bike on the footpaths and use red wagons to do errands.  Partly because of its concentration of police and firefighters, Breezy Point lost a higher proportion of residents in the Sept. 11 attacks than almost any other neighborhood in New York City. Both the promenade and the main traffic artery, Rockaway Point Boulevard, are lined with American flags, and many houses are draped with them as well.  Mr. Turner’s house, which is beige stucco and larger than many of the others, sits at the end of Ocean Avenue, a footpath. “Bob Turner for Congress” signs were taped in the windows, as were paper cutouts of American flags. Lounge chairs and a gas grill on the porch suggested the simple pleasures of the retired life that Mr. Turner is about to give up to go to Washington.  Many of those who expressed happiness with Mr. Turner’s victory cited his being a “regular guy,” a businessman, and not a politician as a reason for supporting him.  “Guy comes out of retirement, he doesn’t have to do it, he’s just fed up with the whole situation,” said John Morris, 66.  Around 8:30, John Matthis, 70, rode a bike up to Mr. Turner’s house and stuck a “Bob Turner for Congress” sign in the sandy yard, right where the Turners would see it when they woke up. On a piece of brown paper taped onto the sign was written in capital letters, “WE WON!”  Mr. Mathis said he was “a little rocky this morning” after celebrating Tuesday night until 2 a.m. Nonetheless, he was on his way to Mass.  Of Mr. Turner’s role in Breezy Point, Mr. Matthis said, “He’s never really been a civic leader or involved terribly, but he’s always been a good citizen.”  Some residents said they were mostly happy just to send a Republican to Congress, after decades of Democrats. Others, like Charlie Cheswick, 77, hoped that Mr. Turner might address a major local concern — the tolls on the bridges to the Rockaways, which can range up to $3.25, though those are set by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, not Congress.  “It’s like a tax we have to pay,” Mr. Cheswick said.  Mr. Turner was asked what issue he planned to attack first in Washington. He paused. “Let me think about that a little more,” he said. “That question has been asked a number of times and I want to make sure I keep answering the same thing.” Then he ducked back into the house.
The morning after winning Anthony D. Weiner's former Congressional seat for the Republicans, Bob Turner takes stock on his beachfront porch.