Queens' next District Attorney is a queer, latinx Democratic Socialist who ran on a platform of "de-carceration"

Queens is the most populous district in the USA, with a population (2.359m) larger than many states; the District Attorney of Queens wields incredible power, and now that power has shifted dramatically.

Like many of New York City's elected offices, the real race for DA is decided by the local Democratic Party machine, as the electorate is overwhelmingly Democrate-voting. In the case of the DA's office, the retirement (and subsequent death) of 30-year DA Dick Brown created an opportunity for one of Brown's proteges to step in and continue Brown's legacy of incarceration for minor offenses. A predictable crop of usual suspects presented themselves and one, Queens borough president Melinda Katz, got the establishment endorsement, including the blessing of Joe Crowley, the finance-friendly "Democrat" who lost a primary race to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez last year.

Enter Tiffany Cabn: a 31 year old, Democratic Socialist, queer, Latinx public defender in New York City who stepped up to run against Katz and the other establishment candidates. Billed as a long-shot, Cabn won the endorsements of AOC, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and ran a grassroots campaign that saw her raising money from three times as many local supporters as any of the other candidates (the other candidates still outraised Cabn, by bringing in big checks from wealthy out-of-district donors).

Cabn's campaign was also popular outside of Queens. I -- along with many other leftists and members of the Democratic Socialists -- donated small sums to her.

When Joe Crowley lost his primary race to AOC, the Democratic establishment claimed that it had been taken by surprise -- and denied that the upset represented any deeper structural shift in the American mood or the Democratic Party's base. Read the rest