Letitia James is the incumbent Democratic candidate for New York State Attorney General. James began her career as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society. She has also served as head of the Brooklyn Regional Office of the New York State Attorney General’s Office, represented New York City’s District 35 and was elected to be public advocate for the City of New York in 2013.
What motivated you to run for this position?
“I am running for reelection to finish the job that New Yorkers elected me to do: To hold the powerful accountable and make New York a more fair and just place for everyone. What motivates me is making a difference in the lives of others and using my position to address the needs of those who are locked out of the sunshine of opportunity. If I can change the life of even one person through my work, I have accomplished what I set out to do.”
How does your background and previous experience make you a good candidate for this position?
“Born and raised in Brooklyn, I’ve spent my entire career working for the public good. I was the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York, and the first woman to be elected New York Attorney General. I’ve been a public defender, worked in Albany, and served on the New York City Council, where I passed legislation forcing landlords to improve living conditions in the city’s worst buildings, and helped to uncover the $600 million CityTime fraud, the biggest in city history. In 2013, I was elected public advocate for the City of New York, where I stood up for our most vulnerable communities and served as a watchdog over New York City government agencies. My leadership transformed the public advocate’s office into a formidable engine of change. As attorney general, I have taken on bad landlords, price gougers and predatory lenders. My office has taken down hundreds of drug, gun and sex traffickers, and removed thousands of guns from our streets. I have also fought to protect reproductive rights by, among other things, co-leading a coalition of attorneys general in challenging states that are trying to restrict abortion access and launching a task force that provides New Yorkers and visitors with free legal information and resources about accessing abortion care. And I have sued Big Pharma opioid makers, winning over $1.5 billion to invest in recovery and treatment efforts in New York.”
What do you see as the biggest concerns facing the state of New York and how do you plan to address them?
“If reelected, I’ll continue to fight to make our communities safer and more just, taking deadly weapons off our streets and working to build bonds between the public and the police. I’ll continue to stand up for a woman’s right to choose and will fight regressive laws limiting reproductive health care. And I’ll continue holding the powerful accountable because no one is above the law.”
What do you offer the students and youth of Broome County and why should they vote for you?
“For those of us who’ve been in public service for a while, there is nothing more inspiring than seeing your generation in action. You’re the most diverse, educated, politically active generation in history. And let’s be honest, no generation has ever faced so many different kinds of crises, so young – from climate change to gun violence to a student debt crisis. As attorney general, I’ve seen these crises up close, and I’ve taken them head on. That’s why I’ve confronted some of the biggest student loan servicers to secure tens of millions of dollars in debt relief for New York students who were deceived or whose loans were mismanaged. I’ve also fought to end the scourge of gun violence, taking thousands of unwanted or illegal guns off the streets and upholding New Yorkers’ ability to sue gun manufacturers for their responsibility in mass shootings. And I have stood up to polluters and the former president to ensure that we all have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. With the support of Broome County’s students and young people, I will continue to take on these and other crises as the ‘People’s Lawyer.’”