Queens DA Race: Melinda Katz Certified As Winner, Tiffany Caban Taking Fight To Court
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The New York City Board of Elections certified Queens Borough President Melinda Katz as the winner of the Democratic primary for Queens district attorney, but the legal fight in the razor thin race isn't over yet.
Only 60 votes separate Katz from her challenger, public defender Tiffany Caban.
While Katz says she's ready to get to work, Caban says she's heading back to court.
"From my perspective, we need to get to work," Katz said during her victory party Monday in Forest Hills. "You have a thousand people here who know that criminal justice reform needs to happen right here in Queens and they want to start going to work."
It has been a rollercoaster for both candidates since the primary election was held on June 25.
At the time, Caban, a political newbie backed by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, seemed to have pulled off a stunning upset.
But Katz took the lead after the Board of Elections conducted a manual recount of more than 90,000 votes. The veteran politician received the endorsement of moderate Democrats, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
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Caban, however, says her fight is not over. With the certification of the votes, the court will now allow her to proceed with the legal challenges.
Her team will argue that more than 100 votes for her were thrown out because voters were deemed ineligible for various reasons.
Both women are vying to succeed longtime Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, who died in May after being the borough's top prosecutor for almost 28 years.