Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has thrown his support behind Saritha Komatireddy's bid to become New York's next attorney general, lending his law-and-order credibility to a Republican campaign that has made public safety its central pitch against Democratic incumbent Letitia James. Kelly, who led the department under two different mayors, called Komatireddy a candidate with the experience and judgment to run the office.
“I'm proud to endorse her,” Kelly said, according to the Yonkers Times, which first reported the endorsement. Kelly served as NYPD Commissioner under Mayors David Dinkins and Michael Bloomberg and is described in the report as the longest-serving police commissioner in New York City history. He said Komatireddy “has the experience, judgment, and determination to lead the Attorney General's Office,” and added that New Yorkers deserve an attorney general who understands law enforcement and keeps communities safe.
The outlet's report also credits Kelly with overseeing significant reductions in violent crime during his tenure and with transforming the NYPD's counterterrorism capabilities following the September 11 attacks. That record, paired with his public backing, gives Komatireddy's campaign a law-enforcement figurehead as she makes her closing argument to voters ahead of November's election.
Who Is Saritha Komatireddy?
Komatireddy, 42 and a mother of four, is the Republican nominee for New York attorney general, running against Democratic incumbent Letitia James, according to Spectrum News. Per the Yonkers Times report, she is an award-winning federal prosecutor who, as a former assistant U.S. attorney, led investigations and prosecutions involving terrorism, cybercrime, money laundering, foreign public corruption, violent gangs and narcotics. The Yonkers Times report states she put leaders of ISIS, al Qaeda and the Sinaloa drug cartel in prison and secured the conviction of one of Mexico's most senior law enforcement officials for working with cartels to smuggle cocaine into the United States.
She also served as chief of staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration during the Biden administration, the same Spectrum News report notes. Her resume extends beyond federal prosecution: according to Columbia Law School, she was counsel to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, and she received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her A.B. from Harvard College. In 2020, she was nominated to serve as a federal judge by President Trump, per her campaign site, sarithafornewyork.com.
Public Safety and Homelessness Take Center Stage
Komatireddy said public safety would be her first priority if elected, according to the Yonkers Times account of the endorsement. “I will work closely with law enforcement across this state to reduce crime, homelessness, and fraud,” she said in the same report. She has also said she would build residential treatment centers throughout the state, the Spectrum News article notes, and has proposed a new Office of Civil Commitment staffed by both law enforcement and doctors.
Her campaign has repeatedly pointed to homelessness, subway violence and locked-up store shelves as examples of urban dysfunction in New York City, as reported by The Free Press. Komatireddy has said she would focus on crime, fraud and mental illness as attorney general, the same Spectrum News report notes. In responding to Kelly's endorsement, Komatireddy said he devoted his career to protecting New Yorkers and led the NYPD through challenging periods, adding that she was honored to have his support.
Where the Race Stands
A Siena University poll had James leading Komatireddy 52% to 39%, according to Fox News, though the same report also noted James's advantage over Komatireddy had narrowed by five points between August and September. The two candidates faced off directly earlier this month, when they met for a 60-minute debate on Spectrum News, as reported by NY1.
Voters won't have to wait much longer to weigh in. Early voting for the general election starts Saturday, Oct. 24, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the same NY1 report. With Kelly's endorsement now part of the public record, Komatireddy's campaign appears intent on framing the final weeks of the race around crime and public safety, the issues Kelly built his own reputation on during his years running the NYPD.
