State Attorney General Letitia James hasn’t been on a debate stage in eight years, having opted not to debate Republican opponent Michael Henry in 2022.
But when she squares off against Saritha Komatireddy on Thursday night, she’ll have more than two decades of experience in politics to draw from.
Elected to the City Council in 2003, she’s since participated in numerous debates in races for public advocate and attorney general.
Komatireddy, meanwhile, is a longtime federal prosecutor making her first run for public office. She has repeatedly bashed James for not doing more to combat crime.
“She is a far-left radical, a politician who cares more about setting criminals free than protecting New Yorkers,” Komatireddy said at the state Republican convention in February.
James has dismissed that criticism, including in an interview with Spectrum News last week.
“It’s unfortunate that my opponent doesn’t understand the responsibility and the role of the New York state attorney general,” she said. “Our office primarily focuses on civil investigations and not criminal investigations.”
Indeed, James has been involved in dozens of civil actions against President Donald Trump and his administration. It’s perhaps little surprise, then, that Trump has backed Komatireddy.
“Letitia James is essentially a dirty cop,” Trump said at a Long Island rally in August. “And you have a person running who I just met today for the first time and I’ve endorsed her.”
Komatireddy said James has pursued a personal vendetta against Trump and is too focused on national politics. She’s also promised to address severe mental illness, another likely area of contention on Thursday.
“I’m running for New York attorney general to make sure that New York is safe, to prosecute crime, prosecute fraud and take the homeless off the streets,” she told NY1 during an interview in August.
“We will continue to do the work of the People’s Lawyer, and I urge everyone to tune in to your debate,” James said.