Alvin Bragg poised to be 1st Black Manhattan DA after last Democrat concedes

Friday, July 2, 2021

Bragg poised to be 1st Black Manhattan DA after last Dem concedes

Alvin Bragg, a law professor and former deputy in the New York attorney general's office, is poised to become the next Manhattan District Attorney.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Alvin Bragg, a law professor and former top deputy in the New York attorney general's office, is poised to become the next Manhattan District Attorney after his last remaining opponent in the Democratic Primary conceded Friday.

Former federal prosecutor Tali Farhadian Weinstein released a statement saying that with the majority of paper ballots counted, it became clear that she could not overcome the narrow vote margin.

"I remain immensely proud of what we accomplished over this past year," she said. "From start to finish, we insisted that safety is the precondition of opportunity and a good life, and that our recovery from this brutal year depends on it. We raised awareness about some of the city's toughest problems, looked them in the eye, and offered real, concrete solutions that I hope will come to life. We also insisted that every person working in the criminal justice system, including prosecutors, must confront and correct the deeply embedded race, gender, and income biases in our country."

Bragg will face Republican Thomas Kenniff in the general election in November, and if elected, he would be Manhattan's first Black district attorney.

The eight-person race to succeed District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. narrowed after Primary Day, when six other Democrats were too far back to win the high-profile prosecutor job glamorized on shows like "Law & Order."

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Vance has been leading a probe of Trump's business dealings, but he leaves office at the end of the year.

In heavily Democratic Manhattan, the Democratic primary is expected to decide the winner.

Farhadian Weinstein made waves by donating $8.2 million to her own campaign, more than all the other candidates have raised, combined.

The candidates all said they're not afraid of taking on Trump, but they were also been cautious not to appear to be prejudging the investigation.

Vance's office has spent two years scrutinizing Trump's business dealings.

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