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Progressive Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg cruised to re-election Tuesday night, dispatching a pair of challengers despite a series of controversial moves in his first term.
The Associated Press called the race as the Democratic prosecutor snagged 74% of the vote with 81% counted just before 9:50 p.m. to beat out GOP nominee Maud Maron and independent candidate Diana Florence, who both criticized him as soft on criminals.
Bragg, who was first elected in 2021 to replace outgoing DA Cyrus Vance Jr., was heavily favored to keep his seat in the deep blue city even as he faced scrutiny over several decisions, including prosecuting then-candidate Donald Trump for business fraud.
Maron, a former public defender and mom of four, argued her campaign was about restoring justice and safety for law-abiding citizens, while vowing to roll back Bragg’s soft-on-crime policies.
Florence, an ex-assistant district attorney during Vance’s tenure, similarly cast Bragg as having “surrendered our streets” to repeat offenders and vowed to get tough on recidivists.
She earned the support of billionaire Knicks owner James Dolan while running on the independent “Safer Manhattan” ballot line.
Bragg had easily topped ex-prosecutor and civil litigator Patrick Timmins in a Democratic primary in June.
He campaigned on combatting gun violence and hate crimes while pouring more resources into sex crime cases.
“Alvin Bragg has worked tirelessly to build a smart, comprehensive strategy to keep our community safe and also to lift up our residents and ensure justice for all,” his campaign website reads.
The former federal prosecutor’s first term opened with instant backlash over his Day 1 memo that instructed staff to avoid seeking prison time for some crimes and downgrade felony charges in some cases – like armed robberies.
Bragg then made waves when he charged deli clerk Jose Alba with manslaughter after the bodega clerk claimed he was defending himself against a violent shoplifter — and the DA dropped the case amid the backlash.
The Democrat earned the praise of liberals though when he successfully prosecuted Trump during his run for the White House in 2024. The president is appealing that guilty verdict that he falsified business records
The office’s controversial prosecution against subway vigilante Daniel Penny in the chokehold death of homeless man Jordan Neely, ultimately led to the Marine veteran’s acquittal.
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