At the Empire State’s GOP convention on Friday, Rep. Bob Turner just made the cut to have his name on the Republican primary ballot for Senate. In the June primary, he’ll face attorney Wendy Long and Nassau County comptroller George Maragos. The winner of that contest will take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a prohibitive favorite to win her first full term in office.

“This campaign has just begun,” Turner said in a statement about his long-shot bid. “My team and I will be working non-stop from now until Election Day to address the critical jobs and economic issues of our times.”

Turner won an upset victory in a special election last September to serve the rest of ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D) term in the Queens- and Brooklyn-based 9th district after Weiner resigned in disgrace when sexually explicit Twitter messages came to light. The current 9th district was essentially eliminated in a judicially drawn redistricting plan.