The Democratic primary for the Queens, New York District Attorney this week has fueled talk of a growing purge by leftists led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ("AOC") against more moderate Democratic office-holders in New York.
Already, a challenge from the far left is being cooked up against House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler in the 10th District (Manhattan).
As of Thursday afternoon, the narrow lead of AOC-supported and far-left public defender Tiffany Caban was holding up over Democratic organization choice and Queens borough president Melinda Katz.
(Late Thursday, the official count in the primary for D.A. showed Caban edging Katz by 1,090 votes out of more than 82,000 cast, with thousands of mail-in ballots still to be counted; Katz has insisted she will demand a recount).
Should Caban emerge triumphant, she will be the youngest ever (31) Queens district attorney as well as the first Latina and the first openly gay person to hold the office.
According to the New York Daily News, her positions include "the decriminalization of sex work, and [refusal] to prosecute low-level marijuana offenses, airport taxis, turnstile jumping, trespassing, disorderly conduct, loitering, drug possession and welfare fraud. Cabán also plans to end cash bail as well as civil asset forfeiture, and would reform court-imposed fines and fees."
Should Caban emerge triumphant, several Empire State sources told Newsmax they are sure the next target of "AOC Democrats" will be Nadler. Lindsey Boylan, 35, a former aide to New York's Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, recently announced she will challenge 13-termer Nadler in 2020.
At least a half dozen other Democratic House Members from New York City are expected to face challenges from leftist insurgents in the mold of "AOC."
To some, the effort to take out more centrist Democratic House Members in primaries is reminiscent of New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At that time, liberals motivated by opposition to the Vietnam War waged primary challenges to House members supportive of the war or not sufficiently opposed.
In 1970, anti-war lawyer Bella Abzug pulled off a stunning primary upset over 14-year Rep. Leonard Farbstein, D.-N.Y, a Vietnam War backer. Two years later, 30-year-old attorney Elizabeth Holtzman eked out a 635-vote primary win in the Brooklyn-based district over Emmanuel Cellar, the House Judiciary Committee chairman at the time and a 50-year incumbent.
"There were successful challenges from the left in the '70's, but they were largely the result of candidates and volunteers driven by opposition to the Vietnam War," George Marlin, author of several much-praised books on New York politics, told Newsmax. "Today, these challenges from the left are primarily based on demographic changes in New York and insurgent candidates running in much friendlier territory."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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