Republican attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy has taken aim at New York Attorney General Letitia James, accusing her of politicising prosecutions and arguing that voters are growing weary of what she describes as a culture of “lawlessness”.
Indian-American Komatireddy is a former federal prosecutor and political newcomer who said her campaign is rooted in restoring fairness and accountability to the justice system.
“That was wrong. Real prosecutors, they don’t target people. They target crimes,” Saritha said, referring to James’ past legal actions against Donald Trump.
The Manhattan-based lawyer was recently selected as the Republican nominee and believes there is a path to victory despite the state’s strong Democratic leaning.
She argued that public frustration is building across party lines. “These things affect innocent people. They affect everyday New Yorkers. And I think New Yorkers across the political spectrum just are tired of the lawlessness,” said 41-year-old Komatireddy.
A daughter of Indian immigrants who settled in Coney Island in the 1980s, Komatireddy said her career in law enforcement was shaped by the September 11 attacks.
She went on to study at Harvard Law School, clerked for Brett Kavanaugh during his time on the US Court of Appeals, and later prosecuted terrorism and narcotics cases in the Eastern District of New York. Her work included cases linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS, as well as a role at the Drug Enforcement Administration.
She is positioning herself as a candidate focused on public safety and institutional accountability. She has pledged to crack down on drug-related crime, antisemitism and what she called widespread disregard for laws in public spaces, including homeless shelters.
Komatireddy also discussed the misuse of taxpayer funds, particularly within Medicaid and non-profit services. “We have to make sure that the people taking taxpayer money to provide services are actually providing those services,” she said.
She further criticised a lack of oversight under one-party rule. “Everyone in an official position is friends with everyone else, and no one’s really a check,” she said, adding that she would not “target people for their politics.”
Despite facing long odds in a state where Democrats dominate voter registration, Komatireddy said her message of safety and accountability could resonate. “I would rule out making decisions based on politics. I’m not going to have a knee-jerk partisan reaction to anything,” she said.
