Manhattan DA candidates Alvin Bragg, left, & Thomas Kenniff

The two candidates running for Manhattan District Attorney in the imminent fall election met recently for a spirited televised debate, with issues ranging from the bail system to gun violence and each aspirant’s record of public service.

Democratic nominee Alvin Bragg, a former prosecutor and top deputy New York Attorney General, and Republican nominee Thomas Kenniff, a former military judge and criminal defense attorney, sparred over their resumes and visions for the office in a debate hosted by

Alvin Bragg, left, & Thomas Kenniff

In the general election for Manhattan District Attorney, Democratic nominee Alvin Bragg and Republican nominee Thomas Kenniff met for a debate hosted by Manhattan Neighborhood Network and moderated by Gotham Gazette's Ben Max. Watch:

Alvin Bragg, left, & Thomas Kenniff

With Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. retiring after 12 years leading one of the most high-profile prosecutorial offices in the country, Alvin Bragg emerged from a crowded, competitive, expensive, and closely-watched Democratic primary and is now in the midst of a one-on-one general election. Bragg, a progressive former prosecutor and top deputy New York Attorney General, competing with Republican nominee Thomas Kenniff, a former military judge and criminal defense attorney.

The

Alvin Bragg at NAN (photo: @AlvinBraggNYC)

Alvin Bragg, the former Chief Deputy Attorney General for New York State, appears likely to become Manhattan’s next District Attorney. After winning the Democratic primary, in the general election Bragg will face Republican nominee Thomas Kenniff, who has a very steep uphill battle given the overwhelmingly Democratic make-up of Manhattan's electorate and other advantages Bragg comes into the race with, including institutional support. Bragg ran a progressive primary campaign, while still treading something of a

Alvin Bragg on the campaign trail (photo: @AlvinBraggNYC)

Alvin Bragg, the current frontrunner in the Manhattan District Attorney Democratic primary election, said during an appearance this past week on the

The New York Times (photo: google images 2020)

June 23, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: The Power of New York Times Endorsements

Mara Gay of the New York Times editorial board joined the show to react to the initial batch of vote tallies in the 2021 New York City primary elections and the role the editorial board played in its apparently powerful endorsements of Kathryn Garcia for Mayor, Brad Lander for Comptroller, and Alvin Bragg for Manhattan District Attorney.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter ...

Alvin Bragg (photo: @alvinbraggynyc)

June 23, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: Alvin Bragg on His Lead in the Manhattan DA Race

Alvin Bragg, leading the Manhattan District Attorney Democratic primary election after the initial tally of in-person votes, joined the show to discuss his campaign and platform.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the show through the embedded audio below or download the episode wherever you get your

Mayor votes (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

Though voting in the Tuesday primary has concluded, the election is far from over. Absentee ballots have yet to be counted and ranked-choice votes have yet to be tabulated. While New Yorkers won’t know the final results from election night for possibly a few weeks, there are early unofficial results available and other notable numbers to watch.

What we know so far is the first-rank votes of those who cast ballots in person, either through early voting or on primary day. In the race for mayor, about 750,000

Courtroom (photo: @nakrnsm)

Earlier this year, a report on use of the “trial penalty” -- the increased likelihood that a defendant, if proven guilty at trial, will face a harsher sentence than if they had opted into a plea deal -- in New York showed that its practice by district attorneys threatens the constitutional rights of defendants, limits law enforcement transparency, and weakens the overall integrity of the justice system.

The report, from the New York State

(l-r) Top: Tahanie Aboushi, Alvin Bragg, Eliza Orlins, Tali Farhadian Weinstein; Bottom Liz Crotty, Dan Quart, Diana Florence, Lucy Lang

June 9, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: Breaking Down the Race for Manhattan District Attorney

The Democratic primary for Manhattan District Attorney is one of the most important and competitive races happening this month. Two reporters who have been covering the race -- Jonah Bromwich of The New York Times and Deanna Paul

Manhattan DA Cy Vance (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

June 9, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: Why The Race For Manhattan District Attorney Is So Important

Host Ben Max was joined by an expert panel for a discussion of the role of Manhattan District Attorney, calls for reforming the way the office functions and the larger criminal justice system, and the ongoing race to replace outgoing DA Cy Vance, which has a key Democratic primary happening this month among eight candidates. The guests include Rebecca Roiphe, a

(l-r) Top: Tahanie Aboushi, Alvin Bragg, Eliza Orlins, Tali Farhadian Weinstein; Bottom: Liz Crotty, Dan Quart, Diana Florence, Lucy Lang

As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" series of candidate interview s from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, host Ben Max interviewed the eight Democratic

Eliza Orlins (photo via campaign)

As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" ser ies of candidate interviews from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for Manhattan District Attorney talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In this episode, public defender Eliza

Alvin Bragg (photo via campaign)

As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" series of candidate interviews from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for Manhattan District Attorney talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In this episode, former Deputy New s from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for Manhattan District Attorney talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In

Tahanie Aboushi (photo via campaign)

As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" series of candidate interview s from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for Manhattan District Attorney talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In this episode, civil rights

Diana Florence (photo via campaign)

As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" series of candidate interview s from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for Manhattan District Attorney talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In this episode, former Assistant District Attorney Diana Florence joined host Ben Max to

Liz Crotty (photo via campaign)

As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" series of candidate interviews from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for Manhattan District Attorney talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In this episode, former Assistant District Attorney

Lucy Lang (photo via campaign)

As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" series of candidate interviews from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for Manhattan District Attorney talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In this episode, former Assistant

Dan Quart (photo via campaign)

As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" series of candidate interview s from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for Manhattan District Attorney talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In this episode, Assemblymember Dan Quart joined host Ben Max to explain his vision for the role.

Liz Crotty (photo: Liz Crotty for DA)

In this race for Manhattan District Attorney, candidates will talk your ear off criticizing the current occupant of the office, and cataloging all the things wrong with prosecutions. While there are a great deal of legitimate criticisms, nevertheless one might be left scratching their head to understand what candidates actually plan to do as DA. That is why candidates must outline not only what the next DA must stop doing, but also what she should do.

So what should the Manhattan District Attorney do? First and

Top (l-r): Tahanie Aboushi, Alvin Bragg, Eliza Orlins, Tali Farhadian Weinstein; Bottom (l-r): Liz Crotty, Dan Quart, Diana Florence, Lucy Lang

All eight candidates currently running for Manhattan District Attorney gathered virtually last week for a reform-focused forum. The race to be Manhattan’s top prosecutor is taking place as incumbent District Attorney Cy Vance has not stated whether he will seek reelection, but has not been raising money or making campaign appearances. All eight candidates in the running are, like Vance, Democrats,

top (l-r): Tahanie Aboushi, Alvin Bragg, Eliza Orlins, Tali Farhadian Weinstein; bottom: Liz Crotty, Dan Quart, Diana Florence, Lucy Lang

Eight candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for Manhattan District Attorney this year as it becomes increasingly likely that incumbent District Attorney Cy Vance, a third-term Democrat, will not run for reelection. As the candidates appeal to voters across a variety of platforms and appearances, outlining their resumes and plans for the office, they have been trying to draw distinctions about the support they are receiving ahead of the all-important June

The Five Borough Defender graph of Manhattan DA candidates (full version below)

A coalition of New York City's public defenders has released a report analyzing the campaign policies of the Manhattan District Attorney candidates vying to replace incumbent Cy Vance, Jr., and their plans to implement those policies. Vance is unlikely to seek reelection and eight Democrats are running in the June primary.

The new analysis from Five Boro Defenders was conducted through the group's decarceral lens and based

Top (l-r): Tahanie Aboushi, Alvin Bragg, Eliza Orlins, Tali Farhadian Weinstein Bottom (l-r): Liz Crotty, Dan Quart, Diana Florence, Lucy Lang

The eight candidates running in the 2021 Democratic primary for Manhattan District Attorney convened virtually on Thursday for a panel discussion to offer their plans for a reimagined District Attorney's office. While all the candidates are talking about extensive reform, some want to go far further than others, and the candidates’ resumes inform those distinctions and, in combination, offer significant differences for voters to choose from in the