Letitia James Launches Attorney General Bid As 'People's Lawyer'

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Public Advocate Letitia James launched her Democratic campaign for state attorney general Wednesday, casting herself as "the people's lawyer" as she looks to become the first woman of color to hold the post.

Citing the trailblazing African-American jurists Barbara Jordan and Thurgood Marshall as inspiration, James pledged to defend the vulnerable and stand up to hostile forces in Washington as New York's top law enforcement official.

"We all need a champion in government who is a watchdog for the people, and I will never waver in my commitment in fighting for you," James said at campaign kickoff rally at the Brooklyn Historical Society.

James, a former city councilwoman, public defender and assistant attorney general, is the first Democrat to formally launch a bid to replace former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned last week following allegations that he abused four women.

She already has support from three influential labor unions — the Communications Workers of America, the New York State Nurses Association and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union — whose local leaders joined her on stage, along with about half a dozen City Council members.

James, who just started her second term as public advocate in January, said she's focused on securing the Democratic nomination for the post ahead of the November election. The state Democratic Party will hold its nominating convention next week.

In making her case for the job, James listed her credentials as a legal advocate for the powerless. She's represented poor criminal defendants for the Legal Aid Society, fought consumer fraud as an assistant attorney general, sued on her constituents' behalf as a city councilwoman and taken on "unscrupulous" landlords as public advocate.

"Throughout my entire career I have been fueled by this idea that the law is our most effective tool in our quest for justice and for progress," she said.

James did not explicitly say whether she would pursue support from the Working Families Party, the liberal party that supported both her campaigns for public advocate but has recently butted heads with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

WFP leaders said James' apparent ambivalence toward its endorsement suggests Cuomo has made her a "political pawn." The WFP backed the actress Cynthia Nixon's Democratic primary campaign against the governor, who effectively controls the state Democratic Party.

"It is nothing short of outrageous to see Andrew Cuomo demand Tish James jump through hoops that he would never ask a white man to do," four WFP leaders said in a joint statement Wednesday. "He is telling her to reject the party where she got her start, and refuse the WFP's support, which could be critical in both the primary and general elections."

The New York Times reported this week that Cuomo's team had told James not to seek the WFP nomination or risk losing the governor's support. Cuomo denied that to the Times, and James told reporters Wednesday that the governor had not told her to steer clear of the WFP.

James asserted her independence when asked whether she was concerned about giving the impression that Cuomo was exerting control over her campaign.

"If you know anything about me you can rest assured that no one's going to bully me, no one's going to threaten me and no one's going to hold anything over my head," she said.

James' campaign speech included a pledge to tackle public corruption, a problem that has long bedeviled state government and seeped into Cuomo's administration.

One of the governor's former senior aides, Joe Percoco, was convicted of wire fraud conspiracy and soliciting bribes in March. And former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, was convicted in a retrial last week.

"New Yorkers deserve a government that works for them and them only," James said.

The state Legislature is interviewing candidates this week to serve the rest of Schneiderman's term. Among them is Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood, who took over after Schneiderman's resignation.

Even if she wins the Democratic Party's endorsement, James could still face a crowded primary in September. There's a long list of liberal candidates considering their own campaigns, including law professor and onetime gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout, state Sen. Michael Gianaris and former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

James would have to court upstate voters for her campaign to be successful. Asked to name her favorite upstate city, she looked about half an hour northwest of Albany to Schenectady.

Coincidentally, there are streets named for both cities in James' native Brooklyn.

(Lead image: Public Advocate Letitia James speaks at a campaign kickoff rally in Brooklyn Heights on Wednesday. Photo by Noah Manskar/Patch)