Queens DA Election: Tiffany Cabán Rakes In Progressive Support

CORONA, QUEENS — Public defender Tiffany Cabán earned another high-profile endorsement in the Queens district attorney race Wednesday, when social justice groups Make the Road Action and VOCAL-NY announced their support for her candidacy.

Grassroots organizations Make the Road Action and the VOCAL-NY Action Fund are the latest members of an influential slew of progressives backing Cabán in the June 25 election for the next Queens DA. National criminal justice reform group Real Justice PAC, founded by prominent activist Shaun King, and former New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon have both endorsed Cabán.

"I’ve spent most of my life criminalized because I grew up poor and black in New York City," Carl Stubbs, a leader with VOCAL-NY Action Fund, said Wednesday. "The Queens DA’s office made my life worse by overcharging and punishing me when what I really needed was support and access to resources. I lost decades of my life to incarceration, but now at 67 years old I couldn’t be happier to support Tiffany Cabán for Queens District Attorney."

Make the Road Action and VOCAL-NY activists gathered in Corona Plaza on Wednesday to announce the endorsement, holding colorful signs calling for an end to cash bail, no new jails, abolishing ICE and decriminalization of sex work.

“My promise to you is, I will bring you in there with me at the Queens DA office to ensure our communities are safe," Cabán said Wednesday.

Cabán is also getting a boost from staff and volunteers from the congressional campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, according to a profile of the candidate published in The Intercept.

But Cabán's grassroots supporters are up against the powerful Queens Democratic Party, which is supporting Queens Borough President Melinda Katz in the DA race.

We proudly endorse @CabanForQueens for Queens District Attorney!

Tiffany is committed to fighting for immigrants, supporting the decriminalization of sex work, decarcerate, creating community-based solutions to criminal justice reform, and protecting workers & tenants. pic.twitter.com/EeEyYTzI6n
— Make the Road Action (@MaketheRoadAct) April 3, 2019

Here's who has endorsed whom so far in the Queens DA race, with candidates listed in alphabetical order.

Tiffany Cabán: Make the Road Action, NYC Democratic Socialists of America, the Working Families Party, Citizen Action of New York, Real Justice PAC, the New York Progressive Action Network, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, People for Bernie, One Queens Indivisible, Rockaway Revolution, New Queens Democrats, former NY gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, State Senator Julia Salazar, social justice advocate Akeem Browder. Civil rights attorneys Janos Marton, Ify Ike, John O’Hara and Marc Fliedner.

Melinda Katz: Queens County Democratic Party, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, State Sen. Leroy Comrie, City Council Members Adrienne Adams and I. Daneek Miller, Assemblymembers Alicia Hyndman and Vivian Cook.

Rory Lancman: NYC Allied Printing Trades Council, IBEW Local 3, District Council 1707, International Union of Operating Engineers Locals 891 and 94, Teamsters Local 813, Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local Union #1 New York, Workers United NY/NJ Regional Joint Board (SEIU), former Chief Judge of New York Jonathan Lippman, City Council member Antonio Reynoso.

Greg Lasak: NYC Fire Marshal's Benevolent Association, Sheet Metal Workers Local 28, the Asian American Congress, the Heat & Frost Insulators Local 12, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, the New York State Court Officers Association, the NYS Court Clerks Association, the Supreme Court Officers Association, the NYC Lieutenants Benevolent Association, the MTA PBA.

Betty Lugo: Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, retired judges Luis A. Gonzalez and Gilbert Badillo, the New York State Chaplain Task Force's Reverend Marcos Miranda. (The full list of individuals who have endorsed Lugo is here.)

Mina Malik: None listed.

Jose Nieves: None listed.