THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE reform group that helped elect Larry Krasner, Wesley Bell, and Rachael Rollins is weighing in on the first competitive district attorney election in Queens, New York, in 28 years.
Real Justice PAC, which works to elect “reform-minded prosecutors” and has helped to reshape the criminal justice landscape through the ballot box, announced over the weekend that they’re backing Tiffany Cabán, a Queens native and former public defender, for Queens district attorney. The group cited her plans to decriminalize sex work and end cash bail for all crimes, as well as her support for the city’s “No New Jails” initiative.
On Tuesday, the Working Families Party, an increasingly influential political force in New York City politics, also threw its weight behind Cabán. Color of Change PAC is considering endorsing in the race, but has yet to do so. Our Revolution, an offshoot of the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign, is also following the race, but has not made a decision on whether they’ll endorse any candidate.
The support of Real Justice and the Working Families Party comes after an endorsement from the Queens chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Cabán is also being boosted by staff and volunteers from the congressional campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, all of which suggests the left is finally coalescing around a candidate in the crowded primary, which is set for June 25. Ocasio-Cortez told The Intercept she hadn’t made an endorsement in the race and didn’t think she would “unless something really changes.”