Tiffany Cabán is a 31 year old, Democratic Socialist, queer, Latinx public defender in New York City, who is running a grassroots campaign for the District Attorney’s office in Queens; she’s secured backing from the Democratic Socialists of America and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The DA’s office is a safe seat for Democrats, meaning whomever wins the Democratic nomination is virtually guaranteed a victory in the election (this is also the case with the Congressional seat that AOC won in a primary challenge against the right-wing, banker-friendly “Democratic” incumbent Joe Crowley).
Cabán is a longshot, with the favored odds going to Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, an establishment figure with backing from Crowley and other members of the New York Democratic Machine.
You can donate to Cabán’s campaign here. I gave her $27.
Since the race’s petitioning period ended April 4, Cabán has been endorsed by the National DSA, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Our Revolution, People for Bernie, the sex workers group Red Canary, the New Visions Democratic Club, the National Association of Social Workers, the 504 Democratic Club, No IDC NY, the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Rockaway Revolution, and the New Queens Democrats.She’s also got backing from former New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon; New York State Sens. Jessica Ramos, Luis Sepúlveda, and Gustavo Rivera; New York City Councilmembers Brad Lander and Jimmy Van Bramer; and activists and attorneys such as Zephyr Teachout, Marc Fliedner, Linda Sarsour, Akeem Browder, and Allen Roskoff.
Cabán’s campaign has also attracted top-tier political staff, including campaign manager Luke Hayes, who worked on State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi’s campaign to challenge New York’s IDC; fundraising consultant Elana Leopold, who led fundraising efforts for Nixon, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Ramos, another IDC challenger; and communications director Monica Klein, who led the press team on de Blasio’s 2017 campaign and handled communications for Ramos and congressional candidate Liuba Grechen Shirley, and also helped lead the Working Families Party effort to break up the IDC.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Backs Tiffany Cabán in Pivotal Queens DA Race [Akela Lacy/The Intercept]