The endorsements for Queens district attorney candidates

When Queens District Attorney Richard Brown died May 3 after almost three decades in office, a number of legal-minded Queensites were already in the thick of a race to replace him. All seven Democrats running in the primary are pushing for progressive reforms, to one degree or another. So the endorsements of political organizations, labor unions and elected officials are sure to help signal to voters what kind of candidate they’ll be casting their ballot for on Tuesday, June 25.

One of the strongest signals: the endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The democratic socialist who has represented part of Queens in Congress since January announced on May 22 that she is endorsing Tiffany Cabán in the race. It’s just Ocasio-Cortez’s second political endorsement since taking office, and Cabán’s success or failure in June will speak to the high-profile congresswoman’s impact in her own city.

But in the first week of June, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz countered with endorsements from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, further solidifying her as the establishment pick. Even if she may have been overzealous in claiming backers, Katz is leading the pack in major endorsements. That metric proved to be a harbinger of victory for recent candidates for open seats like state Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Time will tell if influential backers will play the same role for Queens district attorney, likely the single most competitive race in New York City this summer. And with Queens’ overwhelming Democratic enrollment advantage, the winner of the primary is essentially guaranteed to win office in November.

We scoured press releases, social media and candidates’ websites to compile the list of endorsements, which is accurate as of June 25.

-with reporting by Maggie Garred