WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - A former federal prosecutor who ran as a progressive insurgent has won the Democratic primary for district attorney in the suburbs north of New York City after the incumbent conceded the race on Thursday.
Mimi Rocah, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney under former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and who appears frequently as an MSNBC legal analyst, defeated first-term incumbent Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino in a primary that was held June 23. Results in the race and in others across New York have been delayed by thousands of mail-in ballots used as an alternative to in-person voting in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“I am tremendously honored to be able to declare victory today in the Democratic primary for Westchester District Attorney after three weeks with more than 50,000 absentee ballots counted,” Rocah said in a statement. “I am grateful to every voter for making their voice heard during this pandemic.”
Scarpino said he called Rocah to congratulate her. “I look forward to supporting her and Democrats up and down the ballot in November,” he said in a statement.
Rocah, 49, campaigned promising to hold police officers accountable for misconduct. She vowed on her campaign website to “seek alternatives to the punitive approach that has led to mass incarceration, high rates of recidivism, and a vicious cycle for offenders with no way out.”
She will face Republican Bruce Bendish in the November general election.
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