Indian Saritha Komatireddy wins NY Post

Indian-American Republican Saritha Komatireddy, who is challenging New York Attorney General Letitia James, has won the endorsement of the New York Post editorial board as early voting opens in the state on Saturday.

“The Post enthusiastically endorses Saritha Komatireddy over Attorney General Letitia James,” the paper’s editorial board wrote on Friday.

“Komatireddy is a career prosecutor who’s worked under both parties to put away terrorists, cartel members, cybercriminals and other bad guys — and now is determined to use all the powers of the state attorney general to crack down on crime, including fraud and corruption, as well as making the streets safe,” the editorial said.

The headline called James a “political hack”. The paper also endorsed Republican Bruce Blakeman for governor and Congressman Mike Lawler in the 17th congressional district.

Komatireddy, 41, told the Post that her own family had been affected by crime in the city. “We’ve had a member of my family assaulted in the subway, taking my kids to school. We have a family friend who had a stray bullet come through her bedroom while she was sleeping,” she said.

“New Yorkers don’t feel safe, they feel less safe now than when Tish James began as attorney general and the reason is simple: They are less safe now,” she said. “She stopped doing the job.”

The editorial quoted James as saying the attorney general’s job is “focused on civil matters and not criminal matters”.

As a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, Komatireddy handled cases involving international terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering and public corruption, the Post has reported.

Komatireddy shared the endorsement on X, where she also posted a new campaign ad on homelessness on Friday.

Her campaign has been pushing an internal poll by OnMessage Inc., first reported by the Post on October 18, which showed James leading 50.7 per cent to 44.7 per cent.

The pollster surveyed 1,000 likely voters from October 12 to 14. Among the one in five respondents who watched the candidates’ October 8 debate, Komatireddy led 81 per cent to 19 per cent, the poll showed. A Siena survey last month had James ahead by 13 points.

The James campaign dismissed the poll. “Saritha Komatireddy wouldn’t protect New Yorkers from fraudsters or the federal government, because they’re the ones propping up her candidacy,” a James campaign spokeswoman told the Post. “Trump endorsed her, and she’d repay him by looking the other way while he sows chaos in New York.”

James, a Democrat, was first elected attorney general in 2018 and won a second term in 2022. She drew national attention for her civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and his company.

Early voting in New York runs from October 24 to November 1. The general election is on November 3.