Tiffany Cabán Widens Lead As Queens DA Votes Are Counted

QUEENS, NY — Public defender Tiffany Cabán has widened her lead over Queens Borough President Melinda Katz in the Queens district attorney primary, according to the final vote count released Monday.

The final tally shows that Cabán won 34,104 votes compared to Katz's 32,905 — a margin of 1,199 votes.

Cabán led Katz by 1,090 votes on election night, though not all machines were counted that day, according to Cabán's campaign spokeswoman, Monica Klein.

The new numbers still don't include absentee votes and affidavit ballots, which are cast by voters whose names were missing from the voter rolls at their polling site.

Cabán claimed victory in the six-person DA primary on June 25 in a dramatic conclusion to the hotly-contested election, but NY1 and The New York Times deemed the race too close to call.

Katz has said she won't concede the election until all votes are counted.

"With such an important office at stake, every voice throughout the Borough needs to be heard and every vote needs to be counted," Katz said through a spokesman.

"Thousands of people came together to fight hard to bring change to the Borough of Queens, and their dedication should be recognized. With thousands of ballots left to count, every voter deserves to be heard."

The winner of the Democratic primary will likely face off against GOP nominee Dan Kogan in November. But Kogan has said he would step aside to allow longtime judge and prosecutor Greg Lasak to run as the party's candidate, according to the Queens Daily Eagle.

Lasak, who came in third in the Democratic primary, said he would consider it.

The former Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown died in May at the age of 86 after battling health issues associated with Parkinson's Disease. He was the longest-serving district attorney in Queens history.

Chief Assistant District Attorney John M. Ryan is serving as the acting district attorney until Brown's successor takes office in January.