Letitia James faces challenge from former federal prosecutor in New York Attorney General race
Incumbent Letitia James seeks a third term as Republican challenger Saritha Komatireddy argues the attorney general's office should place greater emphasis on public safety and quality-of-life issues.
More Stories
The race for New York Attorney General is one of the key statewide contests on your ballot this fall, with two-term incumbent Letitia James facing Republican challenger Saritha Komatireddy.
James, a Democrat from Brooklyn, is seeking a third term as the state's top prosecutor. She has built a national profile in large part through legal challenges and opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies.
"I took an oath to the Constitution and not to any one individual. I took an oath to the Constitution to protect our democracy, to protect our freedoms and liberties and also to protect the rule of law and to protect all New Yorkers from harm," James said.
Komatireddy, a Manhattan Republican, argues that the Attorney General's office has become too focused on politics and has not done enough to address issues affecting everyday New Yorkers.
"For the last 7 years, all we've gotten is politics outside of the attorney general's office. Where has that gotten us?" Komatireddy said.
Komatireddy is a former federal prosecutor and served as Chief of Staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration during the Biden administration. She says public safety should be the top priority for the attorney general's office and believes greater attention should be paid to quality-of-life concerns and repeat offenders.
"The overriding concern is public safety. We're going to take that attorney general's office that has more than 700 assistant attorneys general, and we're gonna make sure that attorneys are actually prosecuting crime," Komatireddy said.
James rejects criticism that her office is not focused on issues affecting New Yorkers. Speaking with News 12 during the state Democratic convention in February, she said her responsibilities range from addressing local crime concerns to confronting broader threats facing the state.
"I've got to stand up and fight back. And that's what I do. That's my job. That's my mission. And that's the reason why I ran as the attorney general of the state of New York to protect New Yorkers from harm and to uphold the Constitution," James said.
James enters the race as the heavy favorite. Most polling shows her leading by double digits.
News 12 reached out to the James campaign seeking an interview with the attorney general on Long Island this fall but did not receive a response.
