NY Post Endorses Komatireddy In Race Against AG Letitia James

NEW YORK, NY- Republican Saritha Komatireddy, who is challenging New York Attorney General Letitia James, has received the endorsement of the New York Post editorial board as early voting begins in the state.

“The Post enthusiastically endorses Saritha Komatireddy over Attorney General Letitia James,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote on Oct. 23.

The editorial described Komatireddy as a career prosecutor who has worked under both parties and handled cases involving terrorism, cartel members, cybercrime and other offences. It said she was determined to use the powers of the state attorney general’s office to tackle crime, fraud and corruption and improve public safety. The editorial’s headline called James a “political hack”.

Komatireddy, 41, cited incidents involving people close to her to highlight public safety concerns in New York City.

“We’ve had a member of my family assaulted in the subway, taking my kids to school. We have a family friend who had a stray bullet come through her bedroom while she was sleeping,” she said.

“New Yorkers don’t feel safe, they feel less safe now than when Tish James began as attorney general and the reason is simple: They are less safe now,” Komatireddy said. “She stopped doing the job.”

The editorial quoted James as saying that the attorney general’s job is “focused on civil matters and not criminal matters”.

As a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, Komatireddy handled cases involving international terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering and public corruption, according to the Post.

The endorsement comes as the candidates campaign ahead of the November 3 general election. Komatireddy’s campaign has been promoting an internal poll conducted by OnMessage Inc. and first reported by the Post on October 18. The survey showed James leading Komatireddy by 50.7 per cent to 44.7 per cent.

The pollster surveyed 1,000 likely voters from October 12 to 14. Among the one in five respondents who watched the candidates’ October 8 debate, Komatireddy led James by 81 per cent to 19 per cent, the poll showed. A Siena College poll last month had James ahead by 13 percentage points.

James’ campaign dismissed the OnMessage poll.

“Saritha Komatireddy wouldn’t protect New Yorkers from fraudsters or the federal government, because they’re the ones propping up her candidacy,” a spokeswoman for James’ campaign told the Post. “Trump endorsed her, and she’d repay him by looking the other way while he sows chaos in New York.”

James, a Democrat, was first elected attorney general in 2018 and won a second term in 2022. She drew national attention for her civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and his company.

Early voting in New York runs from October 24 to November 1, ahead of the November 3 general election. (IANS)