NYC: Seeking Second Term, Katz Faces Challenge in Queens District Attorney Primary
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, a first-term Democrat, is running for reelection this year and is facing a challenge from two candidates in the June 27 Democratic primary. Katz eked out a victory in the Democratic primary in 2019 and went on to overwhelmingly win the general election, giving Queens a new district attorney for the first time in almost 30 years as she succeeded the late District Attorney Richard Brown.
Katz says she has been a “steady hand during very turbulent times,” shepherding the district attorney’s office through the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and the simultaneous overhaul of state criminal justice laws, specifically reforms to bail and discovery statutes. Her opponents include George Grasso, a retired Queens Supreme Court judge, who believes she hasn’t been tough enough on crime, and Devian Daniels, a public defender who has filed petitions to get on the ballot but does not otherwise seem to be running a campaign.
This year’s New York City primary elections are fast approaching, with early voting and absentee balloting set to begin mid-June. On the ballot this year are races for Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island District Attorney, which occur every four years, certain judicial positions, and all 51 seats of the City Council, elections occurring just two years after the last round as happens once a decade after the Census and redistricting. Incumbents, almost all of them Democrats, are running for reelection in virtually every contest this year. Few races are expected to be competitive and turnout will likely be low even for New York City’s paltry standards.
District Attorney is a massively powerful law enforcement position, the borough’s lead prosecutor tasked with upholding state law and partnering with officials at all three levels of government.
https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/11960-melinda-katz-queens-district-attorney-election
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