Rocah Confident Of Win Over Scarpino For DA

SCARSDALE, NY — With an overwhelming lead, even though mail-in ballots haven't been counted, Mimi Rocah said in a news release that she was confident the strength of her margin in the race for the Democratic candidate for Westchester County district attorney "leaves little hope for incumbent Tony Scarpino."

According to unofficial results on the Westchester County board of elections website around 11 a.m. Wednesday, Rocah, the former federal prosecutor, has 68 percent of the votes. Incumbent Anthony Scarpino Jr. has 32 percent.

Thousands of ballots are waiting to be counted and will not be counted for a week. New Yorkers got the option of requesting a mail-in ballot for this year's primary over concerns about the new coronavirus pandemic. Mail-in ballots had to have been postmarked by Tuesday and received at the board of elections by June 30.

"First off, I want to say that I am reluctant to put out a statement when for all intents and purposes, the election is not yet over as people were still voting as of midnight," Rocah said in a statement issued about 1 a.m. Wednesday. "But I am doing so given the lateness of the hour and the results we do have in hand."

She said that no one could have imagined an election day such as one where policy brutality and a viral pandemic were also in the mix.

"This election has taken even greater importance as we work to reform the Westchester District Attorney's Office and make it more accountable," Rocah said.

Scarpino issued a statement around 9 a.m.Wednesday through a spokesman.

"There are still tens of thousands of absentee ballots outstanding and more coming in," the statement said. "That process needs to run its course. The results of this election are still pending, and we look forward to seeing all the votes counted."

Whatever the outcome, the Democratic primary's winner will face Bruce Bendish in November. Scarpino won over Bendish for the district attorney race in 2016.

Rocah, 49, is a Scarsdale resident. She spent more than 16 years as a federal prosecutor and has been a legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. She has bene an active volunteer in Moms Demand Action, working to end gun violence, and My Sister's Place, which helps victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

Scarpino, a Bedford resident, is in his first term as county district attorney. He has served as a judge in Mount Vernon and Westchester County Court judge. He was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1993, stepping down in 2015 to join a private law firm. He was endorsed in January by the Westchester Democratic Party.

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