Crowded Field Of Contenders Seeks To Succeed Cyrus Vance, Jr. As Manhattan District Attorney
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Finishing up and potentially prosecuting the case against former President Donald Trump will fall on the new Manhattan district attorney.
Cy Vance Jr. is not seeking re-election, and it's a tough race to replace him.
CBS2's Andrea Grymes takes a look at the Democratic primary.
The new Manhattan DA will likely have to focus on the Trump case. The DA is a huge position, with not only implications for the rich and powerful, but also everyday New Yorkers, deciding which crimes to prosecute.
"Are you going to focus on street-level crime? Are you going to focus on financial crimes?" said David Birdsell of Baruch College. "Are you going to go after gun possession and shootings?"
Legendary law and order DA Robert Morgenthau helmed the office for a record 35 years, followed by Cy Vance in 2010, who decided not to run again.
LINK: Primary Elections Guide For Voters In New York And New Jersey
"We're at a time when we're rethinking what it means to police in a just and equal way, and many of the candidates in this race are talking about precisely that," Birdsell said.
Eight lawyers are running in the crowded Democratic primary.
State Assemblymember Dan Quart says he's running to fight police brutality and white supremacy. Quart said he'll focus on prosecuting economic and violent crimes, rather than turnstile jumping and minor drug possession.
Civil rights attorney Tahanie Aboushi promises to integrate Black Lives Matter into the framework of her approach to public safety. She wants to invest in alternatives to jail, and establish a police accountability unit.
Alvin Bragg most recently served as chief deputy attorney general in New York state. He promises to end cash bail, and not prosecute low-level crimes for which he believes there is little public safety benefit.
Elizabeth Crotty has been a prosecutor and a defense attorney. She says her number one priority as DA will be the safety of New York City, and defending the rights of victims. She promises to prosecute violent crime, along with white collar crime and public corruption.
Prosecutor Diana Florence says she'll partner with the NYPD and community organizations to target sources of gun violence. She also wants to create a police accountability unit to help hold criminal officers accountable.
Public defender Eliza Orlins says she'll free up resources to focus on gun violence by declining to prosecute the vast majority of misdemeanors. She wants to expand violence interruption programs and prosecute individuals who traffic illegal firearms.
Former prosecutor Lucy Lang says she'll work on eliminating racial injustice. She also wants to create a specialized gun court, and ensure adequate funding for local anti-violence organizations.
Tali Farhadian Weinstein worked in the Obama Justice Department. She has a 10-point plan to address gun violence, including prioritizing gun trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
Whoever wins this Democratic primary will face off in November against Thomas Kinneff, the lone Republican running.