Tiffany Caban Gives a Victory Speech at La Boom in Woodside Tuesday (QueensPost)
June 25, 2019 By Laura Hanrahan
Political newcomer Tiffany Cabán is on the verge of pulling off a stunning upset to win the Democratic nomination to be the next Queens District Attorney.
With 98.6 percent of the vote in, Cabán had generated 39.6 percent of the vote, about 1,100 votes more than Melinda Katz who pulled in about 38.3 percent of the ballots cast.
Cabán has yet to be officially named the winner, since there are about 3,500 absentee ballots that remain to be counted and Katz has not conceded.
But Cabán had no doubts that she was the winner.
“Tonight we won the Queens District Attorney’s Office,” Caban told her supporters at La Boom in Woodside.
She thanked her volunteers and said that the campaign had overcome many obstacles to win.
“When we started this thing, they said I was too young,” Cabán said. “They said I didn’t look like a district attorney. They said we couldn’t build a movement from the grass roots. They said we could not win–but we did it y’all.”
Cabán, a 31-year-old public defender who was the most progressive candidate in the race, gained momentum in recent weeks– following the endorsement of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the New York Times. Three months ago she was unknown outside of left wing circles and Katz was the expected victor.
Her campaign message promising criminal justice reforms, such as ending cash bail and the decriminalization of sex work, resonated with progressive voters. She said she would not prosecute low level offenses such as turnstyle jumping and said that too many people of color were being unfairly incarcerated.
In the days leading up to the vote, Katz and Cabán emerged as the two front runners to fill the vacant seat left by longtime District Attorney Richard A. Brown, who passed away last month.
The majority of endorsements for Cabán, a queer Latina and Astoria resident, came from outside of Queens including presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Inside Queens, the majority of endorsements went to Katz with Cabán picking up a handful of endorsements largely in western Queens where the progressive wave is strongest.
Cabán made a point to thank the Queens elected officials who backed her. When she mentioned Ocasio-Cortez, the crowd started chanting “AOC, AOC, AOC.” A similar chant in the same spirit was heard when she thanked the Democratic Socialists of America, who were seen as providing pivitol resources for the campaigns of both political newcomers.
Board of Elections
Katz, 53, who has served Queens for more than two decades as an Assembly Member, City Council Member and Borough President, has yet to concede and is not completely out of the race. She would
She spoke to her supporters in Forest Hills last night and reiterated the message that criminal justice reforms were needed. She was energized and showed no signs of bowing out of the race.
Katz’ platform, endorsed by a long list of centrist Queens Democrats and party loyalists, sought most of the same reforms as Cabán, such as the end of cash bail and the closing of Rikers Island. In fact, very little separated the candidates in terms of policy.
The race between Katz and Cabán was heated and at times personal. Earlier this month, Cabán released an ad that singled out Katz as a remnant of the Queens Democratic political machine, linking her campaign and career to the real estate industry.
Just days before the election, Katz shot back, releasing an ad that called Cabán “dangerously wrong,” and stated that Cabán, who has worked as a public defender for six years, was “barely out of law school.”
But Cabán in her victory speech focused on the steps needed to fix the system and made clear that she was more than up for the job.
“The changes we are fighting for mean a fairer more equitable criminal justice system and that doesn’t come at the cost of safety.”
Katz on the Campaign trail Tuesday (Twitter)
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32 Comments
There are over 6,300 uncounted paper ballots outstanding, both absentee and affidavits. Won’t start to be counted until July 3.
Count ALL the votes y’all.
Downvotes on counting ALL the votes? What’s up with that?
She lost, get over it
Wrong. Cabán declared victory on election night. But Katz has not conceded.
Count ALL the votes.
Why would anyone not want all the votes to be counted? Absentee votes matter. Affidavit votes matter.
The MTA lost 215 million last year to fare evaders and caban says if elected she’ll do nothing. That’s insane, the DA won’t prosecute theft, and people vote for that.
Please post a shred of evidence she said “if elected she’ll do nothing” about fare beaters.
Otherwise we’ll just keep dismissing this as blind speculation.
Most all of the candidates favored NOT prosecuting fare beaters. See CityandState’s review of candidates’ positions on the issues. Katz was the only one who included a caveat. Per that article:
“Katz says she would “look to significantly reduce prosecution of these types of offenses,” but would “consider each arrest on its merits” and would look to alternatives to fines or incarceration as a means of resolution.”
Please post a shred of evidence Caban said “if elected she’ll do nothing” about fare beaters.
Ok, anon MTA board member. But, summonses will be issued if they are caught…no arrests, and having to go through the system, which is a waste of taxpayer money. Use that piece of gum that’s lodged inside your skull. You dingbat!!
Summons have ALWAYS been issued to fare evaders unless they’re not eligible in which case they are subject to arrest. Waste tax payers money? Please, they’re stealing and those of us that pay our fares, taxes, and all else have no sympathy for them. If you want to complain about wasting tax payers money pick a legit gripe instead of making excuses for criminals. SMH
Haven’t heard a peep from Lasak. Wonder why? Too many candidates splintered the vote.
Nothing against Caban but this win was clearly influenced heavily by the anti-Amazon clique (AOC mainly, JVB, Gianaris). They’ve proven their influence is powerful. Now we have to hold them accountable. Keep an eye on them and don’t just buy into their hype.
Yea, glad there’s finally politicians looking out for the regular small people and not big business as usual like the opponents of Caban and AOC are…
I wouldn’t call them powerful.
They are clearly being funded and promoted by right wing interests
to repell moderate voters.
The mail-in ballots have not been counted yet. Katz may still get more than 1,000 extra votes making her the winner.
Let us hope and pray.
Trump lost the vote by 3 million vote, didn’t matter at all. Maybe Queens has an electoral college that can elect the loser?
NYT reports there are over 6,300 uncounted paper ballots remaining, including 3,556 absentee ballots and 2,781 affidavits. Paper ballot count starts July 3.
Count all the votes y’all!
I want to know what Melinda Katz has done for Queens (she probably doesn’t go to work by bicycle and probably is driven in the bike lanes), and Tiffany? What experience does she have to be a D.A.? It’s disgusting that in politics, you don’t need experience to get a job, just people dumb enough to think you know what you’re doing.
This is the new reality we live in now. If the highest office in the nation can be won by a television celebrity, any office can be won by anyone.
Yes the tv personality that got this country out of the garbage dump the last professional politician got us into.
Eileen- The country was doing fine when the Apprentice Star took office. The statistics have been trending upward for the last 10 years, just go and look them up. You’re being conned by Trump the con man who takes credit for everything. All the deals mentioned in his ghost written book were ultimate failures. In bankruptcy multiple times, convicted of hiring illegal alien labor and the list goes on. The mark of a great con man, he bilks and fools you and you keep coming back for more. Keep up the great con game Mr. Trump!!
jesus, this is getting silly.
must be nice to run on a platform of
“decriminalization of sex work, resonated with progressive voters. She said she would not prosecute low level offenses such as turnstyle jumping and said that too many people of color were being unfairly incarcerated.”
and she won! The borough of queens!
Katz should run as an independent. She could win. Caban won because of a split vote. Caban said she won’t prosecute turnstile jumpers. What kind of message is that? It’s okay to beat the fare? What does she plan to do with people who don’t pay? Give them a medal.
Caban only won 39% of the vote. With Lasak out of the race, Katz could get enough votes to win as an independent. Queens doesn’t need another (AOC) inexperienced, immature politician.
We don’t need another failure like that
If Katz loses the final count, she’s still QB President for a little while. She’s young enough and has options politically & professionally. So I doubt if she’d run for DA on another line in Nov.
Lasak however could run as an independent, and/or on GOP line if they want to switch out their current candidate. He gave up his job to run for DA, and IMO would have a decent chance if Cabán is the Dem nominee.
If Caban is indeed the winner, shame on Democrats for not supporting someone else. You will get a prosecutor in Caban who will not prosecute Fare beaters even though the MTA just put 500 cops in the subway to prevent fare beating .This after the MTA is saying they lost $240 million Dollars last year in fare beating. She will not prosecute Prostitutes or Johns. No cash Bail. Close Rikers. Etc… Shame on you DUMB New Yorkers who complain that NY City AND STATE need change . Well then vote for change. You just got yourselves another AOC know nothing Loser. Maybe the dumb New Yorkers deserve what they voted for or didn’t vote for.
and paid her for it. But you’re “against” sex work?! Lmao! Have a LITTLE integrity.
Paying a willing PORN STAR $1ook for a sex romp is not the same thing as paying $20 on Roosevelt Avenue to a woman that is forced to see dozens of men a day and doesn’t even get to keep her earnings. Get a grip- sex workers are victims and Caban will greatly empower those who do the victimizing.
Ah, seeing that you’re completely wrong shines some light on why you’re pretending to be outraged. Sex trafficking is very common in prostitution AND porn
Porn stars ARE sex workers. Their job is having sex. How oblivious can you be?!
He paid a porn star for sex…how is that not sex work again? lmao
You’re completely ok with our president that cheating on his pregnant wife with a porn star and paying for it?