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A Super PAC backing Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman and bankrolled by Knicks owner James Dolan is set to spend big in the race for attorney general, The Post has learned.
Strong and Safe New York is tapping its resources to boost Republican AG candidate Saritha Komatireddy in her race against two-term Democratic incumbent Letitia James — with a series of billboards in the burbs touting the GOP nominee’s pro-safety and security agenda.
The billboards will be displayed across Long Island, the northern burbs of Westchester County and Rockland County, part of a “seven-figure investment” to back Komatireddy’s candidacy, a spokesperson for the group said.
“New York finally has a chance to restore safety and security by electing Saritha Komatireddy as the next Attorney General,” said Strong and Safe New York spokesperson Carson Steelman.
“For too long, New Yorkers have been failed by politicians like Governor Hochul and AG Letitia James, who have pushed soft-on-crime policies and put their own political ambitions ahead of the safety of our citizens,” Steelman added. “Crime continues to stay above pre-COVID levels, homelessness continues to plague Manhattan, and hate crimes continue to skyrocket.”
Strong and Safe New York, which has thus far been focused boosting Blakeman in the race for governor over Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, is funded by Dolan as well as retired casino mogul Steve Wynn and others.
Komatireddy, 42, a former federal prosecutor, has garnered a recent spike in attention after performing well in last week’s NY1/Spectrum News debate. The candidate put James on the defensive over the incumbent’s support of the controversial cashless bail law and her record in fighting antisemitic hate crimes and Medicaid fraud.
As a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York, Komatireddy handled some of the nation’s most high-profile cases involving international terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, fraud and foreign public corruption. She prosecuted terrorists in al Qaeda, ISIS and the Mexican drug cartels.
She also served as chief of staff of the Drug and Enforcement Administration (DEA) and started her legal career as a clerk for then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, before Kavanaugh was named to the US Supreme Court.
Komatireddy graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and teaches at Columbia Law School.
The Super PAC’s spokesperson said Komatireddy has “the experience, leadership and vision” to make New York safer.
“She has spent her life protecting New York from criminals, terrorists, and drug cartels, proving she has the backbone to take on the tough fights,” Steelman said. “Strong and Safe New York is proud to endorse Komatireddy for her next fight of restoring public safety and rooting out corruption as the state’s next Attorney General. As Saritha says, ‘if New York isn’t safe, nothing else matters.’”
James’s campaign dismissed the group’s support for rival Komatireddy, linking her to President Trump.
“Saritha Komatireddy is Donald Trump’s handpicked candidate, and now his deep-pocketed allies are bankrolling her campaign,” a James campaign spokesperson said. “New Yorkers deserve an Attorney General who answers to them, not to Trump’s billionaire cronies.”
Komatireddy is an underdog against James in deep blue New York, where there are 6 million registered Democrats but only 2.8 million registered Republicans, according to the state Board of Elections’ active enrollment logs. There are also 3.4 million active registered voters not affiliated with a party.
No Republican has won statewide election since former Gov. George Pataki in 2002.
Democrat James, 67, has garnered nation-wide attention for prosecuting President Trump and his namesake company for fraudulent practices and filing numerous lawsuits against the administration.
She also commissioned a sexual misconduct probe of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo that triggered the Democrat’s resignation from office in 2021, even as he denied wrongdoing.
She previously served as New York City’s public advocate and as a Brooklyn councilwoman.
The attorney general is paid a $220,000 salary and serves a four-year term.
Election Day is Nov. 3.