Susan Cacace, fresh off her victory in the Democratic primary for Westchester district attorney, is looking ahead to the November general election, where she will face Republican John Sarcone.
“It goes back to experience, and my trio of experiences that I don’t think the Republican has,” she said in a brief interview Wednesday. “My platform will remain consistent. It always has. Because I think it’s what’s best for Westchester going forward.”
Given Westchester’s significant Democratic registration advantage, Cacace is the heavy favorite to win in the fall. However, her main Democratic rival, William Wagstaff III, has already earned the Working Families Party nomination. Should he remain on the Working Families line on the November ballot, that could open up the possibility of a three-way ticket.
Wagstaff has not yet indicated what he will do in the general election. In a statement, he said he was “energized” by the support he received for his “vision for a reimagined criminal justice system” and was proud to have run a positive campaign recommending “tangible policies.”
“I am disappointed, but not discouraged, by the results,” he said in a statement. “I ran for office because I thought presenting a different way of thinking about public safety was important. The status quo has failed to provide our citizens with the level of safety and justice they deserve.”
The deadline to withdraw from the Working Families nomination is July 5.
Cacace indicated that one of her top priorities, should she win the general election, would be to put more resources into the units that handle sexual offenses and hate crimes. Another priority would be to ensure that the DA’s office has sufficient staff to fulfill its prosecutorial mandate, given the significant turnover in the office in recent years.
She also said she would focus prosecutorial resources on the conviction review unit, which was revived by the current district attorney, Mimi Rocah, who has endorsed her.
“I’m going to continue with it. I believe it’s working,” Cacace said. “It was a great idea and execution by Mimi Rocah. I will continue with that.”
She said she plans to bring in people from her area and campaign in the district attorney’s office, but she would not discuss individual names.
As for any issues in a potential three-way election race, Cacace has no qualms about it.
“You know, I think the numbers in the primaries were strong,” she said. “I think they’re going to continue to be strong.”
Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can email him at astockler@lohud.com. Reach him safely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Susan Cacace touts experience for Westchester NY district attorney race
