STORM WATCH

Snow, wintry mix & rain showers arrive overnight from an early-winter storm

Primary Vote 2024: Meet the 3 Democratic candidates vying for Westchester County district attorney

Civil Rights attorney William Wagstaff, longtime former Judge Susan Cacace and Defense attorney Adeel Mirza are the three Democrats on the ballot.

Tara Rosenblum and News 12 Staff

Jun 7, 2024, 1:04 AM

Updated 181 days ago

Share:

Westchester voters will have the chance to select a new face to fill the county's top law enforcement job for the third time since 2020.
Civil Rights attorney William Wagstaff, longtime former Judge Susan Cacace and Defense attorney Adeel Mirza are the three Democrats on the ballot.
The trio, who are running for Westchester district attorney, paid a visit to the News 12 Yonkers studio this week ahead of the primary on June 25. They talked about their qualifications and where they stand on the most critical issues that are impacting the county, like rising incidents of hate.
"I think that it's going to take one, a requirement for us to listen and not minimize the anxieties and the issues that targeted communities have been raising, and make sure that police departments are responsive to everything," Wagstaff said.
"There is a unit right now that specializes in hate crimes and bias crimes, and that's a unit that is going to be fortified," Mirza said.
"I've indicated that I'm going to be implementing an advisory board on hate and bias crimes," Cacace said.
News 12 Senior Political Reporter Tara Rosenblum also asked Wagstaff, Cacace and Mirza what the appropriate sentencing would be in the case of former President Donald Trump's historic felony conviction.
"When you're typically found guilty of 34 felonies, you're going to jail," Mirza said.
"A felony conviction is not a slap on the wrist," Cacace said. "It's significant. Is jail necessary? Not sure it would even help here."
"Considering that there are plenty of other individuals, first-time felons in these financial crimes that have done time, think of someone like Michael Cohen, I would be fine with one to three years," Wagstaff said.
The candidates have three weeks left as of Thursday night to make their final pitch to voters.
Tune in to "Power & Politics" this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Rosenblum and News 12 Reporter Jonathon Gordon will host a special show that will reveal more of the candidates' positions on key issues that are impacting the Hudson Valley.
There is no Republican Primary this year for the seat.