A crowded field of candidates are seeking to become the next attorney general of New York State. Of the five candidates, four are Democrats, and three of them are seeking to become the Democratic Party’s nominee this November and will run in a primary Sept. 13.
Letisha James, Zephyr Teachout and Congressman Sean Maloney are the three Democratic candidates who will be on the ballot in the primary next month. James, who serves as the New York City Public Advocate, is running with the support and endorsement of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and most of the Democratic Party establishment in the state. If elected, she would become the first African-American woman elected to statewide office in New York.
Teachout ran an outsider campaign for governor four years ago, challenging Cuomo in the Democratic primary and receiving 34%. This time around she is running the same type of outsider campaign for A.G., and has made the argument that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers should not only be fired, but should be prosecuted for their crimes in deporting undocumented immigrants.
Maloney is currently running for two offices at the same time. He is on the ballot for re-election for his congressional seat in theth District, which includes northern Westchester and the Hudson Valley. He is also actively running in the Democratic primary for A.G., with television commercial airing in which he says he will use “a baseball bat” to defend his same-sex marriage family from “a group of men led by Donald Trump” who are “getting ready to tear this house apart.”
Maloney said he is hoping to win the Democratic primary for A.G. and then have another Democrat replace him on the ballot for Congress.
The latest rumor has actor and Westchester resident and restauranteur Richard Gere replacing Maloney for Congress, if – and only if – Maloney wins the Democratic primary for A.G. Right now James, and not Maloney, is the front-runner to win the Democratic primary.
Another interesting candidate for attorney general is Michael Sussman, noted attorney from the mini-series “Show Me a Hero,” which memorialized the City of Yonkers and its battle over desegregation in the 1980s. Sussman was the attorney representing the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People during the crisis, and the victories that forced the desegregation of the schools and housing in Yonkers are credited in some part to Sussman.
Running on the Green Party line, Sussman has more state and federal court experience than all current Attorney General candidates combined. “I’m running for the job, not for the political opportunity. There is an alternative to the “DUOPOLY OF CORRUPTION” in Albany.”
Sussman believes that “the Democratic Party has left too many people behind, has not fought for true progressive taxation in our State, is not advocating for a jobs program needed to re-vitalize our cities and has failed to resist corporate power and greed and, instead, capitulated to the massive use of fracked natural gas.”
“While the terrible spectacle in Washington holds the attention of many we cannot forget our own state’s ongoing struggles with corruption and compromised ethics. In the last decade New York has seen more politicians thrown out of office for misuse of authority than the next five states combined. This is a bi-partisan issue stemming from Albany’s “pay to play” culture. I will strengthen the state’s Public Integrity Unit, push for a sweeping public finance law to disconnect big money from state politics, and prosecute those who exploit their positions for personal gain. I owe no allegiance to a political boss. I can and will fight corruption without fear or favor.”
The Republican candidate for attorney general is Keith Wofford, a partner in the New York City law firm of Ropes & Gray, and a completely unknown candidate for office until he was picked by the New York GOP in May. Wofford is an African-American, and like James, would be the first person of color elected NY AG.
All of the candidates for AG are attempting to replace Eric Schneiderman, the disgraced former A.G. who had to resign after a rash of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations came out in May. Barbara Underwood is currently serving out the year, but is not running for the full term.
