Manhattan District Attorney race ‘wide open’ with Cyrus Vance retirement

The race to replace Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. who has served as Manhattan’s DA since 2010, is wide open after he confirmed that he would not stand for re-election.

Among the most notable aspirants are Tali Weinstein and Alvin Bragg. Tali, a Rhodes Scholar, law professor, and former clerk to then-Judge Merrick Garland, most recently served as General Counsel to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. Alvin Bragg is a Harley street resident and most recently chief deputy attorney general in New York State.

Other contenders include Lucy Lang, a director of John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Institute for Innovation in Prosecutions; Diana Florence, a long-time prosecutor backed by a number of labor unions; Liz Crotty, a former assistant Manhattan District Attorney, and Dan Quart, a Manhattan Assemblyman.

Also vying for the job is Tahanie Aboushi, a far-left attorney backed by controversial Linda Sarsour and “Squad” member Reputable Rashida Tlaib, and Eliza Orlins, a public defender who was once a contestant on “Survivor.”

The “wedge issue” of the race would be whether to ramp up criminal justice reforms or pullback in an effort to stem rising crime, says Janos Marton, a one-time contender for the job who dropped out in December.

Marton, 38, stated that as the public doesn’t know any of the candidates yet, the race is wide open.

While there is no polling so far, nobody can predict how ranked-choice voting could impact the outcome.