2026 New York Attorney General candidates

2026 New York Attorney General candidates Categories: News 2026 New York Attorney General candidates By Ian Strauss, Contributing Writer October 14, 2026 Sofia Fitzgerald Letitia James, Democrat, and Saritha Komatireddy, Republican, are the New York Attorney General candidates. Letitia James Democrat and Working Families Party member Letitia James is running for her third term as the incumbent Attorney General for the state of New York, first elected in 2018. James is also the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York, as well as the first woman to serve as New York Attorney General. Over the course of her seven years as Attorney General, James has supported a variety of causes, with no exclusive platform. However, one of the aspects of James’ tenure has been her many legal battles with United States President Donald Trump’s administration. James sued the administration Sept. 30 to prevent funding cutoffs that would negatively impact New Yorkers’ security in their homeownership finances. In response to shrinking eligibility for affordable healthcare plans for low-income New Yorkers, James released guidance on how to navigate a turbulent healthcare climate. James reminded the citizens of New York of their legal right to medical financial aid and since last year James has reached more than $20 million in settlements with health service companies over wrongful charges and failure to provide service. On Oct. 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order, appointing Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case of alleged sexual assault at Cornell University due to failure to prosecute on behalf of the Tompkins County district attorney and the Cornell University Police Department. James did not respond to The Ithacan’s request for an interview in time for publication. Saritha Komatireddy Republican Saritha Komatireddy has built an election campaign with the central promise of security. Despite being Komatireddy’s first time running for an elected position, she has held public positions before as a law clerk in the United States Court of Appeals, counsel for the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, chief of staff for the Drug Enforcement Administration, and is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of General Crimes in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. She was also nominated to be a federal judge by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020. Due to her background in prosecution, Komatireddy features law and order messages heavily in her platform, with a focus on anti-terrorism. In 2018, Komatireddy helped prosecute al Qaeda terrorist Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh for, among other charges, conspiracy to kill Americans, resulting in Farekh being punished with a 45-year sentence. In Komatireddy’s campaign advertisement posted on her website, she makes the claim that crime in New York state has risen 26% under Letitia James, with the accompanying message being that she will be tougher on crime. While James is the incumbent, Komatireddy makes the argument in her advertisement that James lacks the experience to be an effective Attorney General, as she lacks a background in criminal prosecution. Komatireddy did not respond to The Ithacan’s request for an interview in time for publication. View Story Comments 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Leave a Comment Tags: election edition New York Attorney General Donate to The Ithacan $1,925 $3,000 Contributed Our Goal Your donation will support The Ithacan's student journalists in their effort to keep the Ithaca College and wider Ithaca community informed. Your contribution will go toward covering our annual website hosting costs and supplementing other expenses, including travel to conferences. Donate More to Discover More in News 2026 candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York 2026 New York State Assembly District 125 Candidate 2026 New York State Senate District 52 Candidates 2026 candidates for NY Congressional District 19 2026 New York State Comptroller candidates Unity Center encourages youth civic participation through voter registration initiatives About the Contributor Sofia Fitzgerald, Assistant Design Editor