Wagstaff gets 40%, with endorsements
Susan Cacace
William Wagstaff
By Dan Murphy
On Feb. 13, Democrat Susan Cacace won the Democratic Nomination for Westchester District Attorney at the County Democrats’ convention, held at the Westchester Marriott Hotel in Tarrytown. Cacace won 60% of the vote by Democratic District Leaders from across the county, giving her major organizational support for the primary and general elections.
Judge Cacace, who brings decades of experience not only as a longtime jurist but also as a former prosecutor and attorney, stepped off the bench to run following the decision by incumbent Mimi Rocah to not seek another term.
“I am so honored to have earned this endorsement,” said Cacace. “As Democrats, we are leading the way in making our criminal justice system stronger and fairer by not only holding wrongdoers accountable, but also showing compassion and finding better ways to prevent crime and get at-risk people on a better track.
“Right now, too many people have lost faith in the government and feel unsafe,” Cacace added. “But the fact is, we are able to keep our communities safe and correct long-standing issues in our criminal justice system if we do it smartly and consistently, focusing on both accountability and the underlying causes of criminal activity.”
Cacace, whose family has a long history of involvement inDemocratic politics, said she would build on the reforms implemented by DA Rocah. “We’ve made great progress on wrongful convictions and expanding alternatives to incarceration, and we won’t move backwards,” she said. “We’re going to keep bringing crime down, get more people back on the right track, and make sure that everyone feels protected and respected by our County’s criminal justice system.”
Wagstaff’s campaign said that “the campaign received broad support to be Westchester’s next District Attorney at the Westchester County Democratic Committee’s nominating convention. While he did not receive the outright nomination for the position, Wagstaff declared intent on running for the seat in the June 25 Primary and surprised members of the county committee with the extent of the support he garnered as he continues to run as a reformer against the entrenched machine and racks up endorsements from leading Democrats.
“The county convention is just the first step in a long campaign and I look forward to continuing to talk with voters across this great county as I seek to become Westchester’s first Black District Attorney. I am deeply honored to have received the support I have thus far and remain committed to talking to every voter in the county to make the case for a re-imagined District Attorney’s office.
“From every corner of our diverse county, our campaign has generated grassroots support and received dozens of endorsements from elected leaders and organizations. I have unique experience unlike any candidate to ever seek this office, and have the ability to affect real change instead of rhetoric as we make Westchester fairer, safer, and stronger. I look forward to hearing the concerns of voters across Westchester,” said Wagstaff.
Both Cacace and Wagstaff have received a number of endorsements from Westchester elected officials. A third democratic candidate in the race is Adeel Mirza.
