Queens District Attorney Race

My experience working at Spectrum New York 1 News and covering the Queens District Attorney Race.

August 2019

From an insurgent’s campaign to a shocking primary night to a last minute turn of the tables, the Queens District Attorney’s race has finally come to an end. 

Tiffany Caban conceded the Queens District Attorney race to Melinda Katz last week, after the primary race had dragged on for six weeks. Katz won the primary election by just 55 votes after the recount ended.

Caban vowed to continue fighting, even after the New York City Board of Elections certified Katz as the winner a few weeks ago. The Caban team moved forward with a legal challenge of over 100 ballots that they claimed were wrongly invalidated by the Board of Elections. Last week, the judge on the case refused to reinstate the ballots in question. This left Caban down 55 votes and no hopes left of taking the office. 

Katz’s ultimate win was a reassurance to the Queens Democratic Party and Queens Machine that they are still powerful and can win against progressive candidates. The machine had suffered a major blow from Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez last year after she unseated longtime congressman, Joseph Crowley. 

But the district attorney race also revealed the traditional Democratic Party in Queens is vulnerable to progressive candidates. Caban was a first-time candidate and a former public defender, who vowed to end cash bail and no longer prosecute low level crimes. It was astonishing that she only lost by 55 votes, since Queens was known for “tough on crime” policies for decades. 

“We terrified the Democratic establishment,” Caban stated at an event with supporters last week. “You don’t have to work and build with an entrenched establishment to build a campaign that literally changes the course of history.” Caban assured her supporters that the campaign made a huge impact on politics in Queens. Katz was even pushed further left on her policies because of Caban’s influence during the campaign. 

What is next for the progressive Democrats in Queens and across the country? Caban vowed to completely change the way the district attorney’s office was run. She advocated for decriminalizing sex work, no longer prosecuting most marijuana offenses and ending cash bail. These ideas of reform in the criminal justice system stretched beyond Queens and even became talking points among democratic presidential candidates.  

Despite her loss, Caban’s message has spread further than just her county in New York City. Her ideas can guide future progressive candidates as they build their campaigns and create policies. Caban’s strategies to reform the criminal justice system have forced people to talk about the changes that need to be made. 

Caban also assured her supporters that her work in Queens is not done. Caban said last week at a gathering for her supporters,“You better believe I’m going to keep fighting.”