The race for New York State attorney general is tightening, with Democratic incumbent Letitia James’ lead over Republican Saritha Komatireddy shrinking by 5 points, according to a new poll released Wednesday.
James, 67, leads former federal prosecutor Komatireddy by 13 points — 52% to 39%, the Siena University survey found.
That’s down from her 18-point lead — 54% to 36% in an August poll conducted by Siena.
A key challenge for Komatireddy, 42, is that two-thirds of likely voters have either never heard of her or don’t know enough to have an opinion, said Siena pollster Steven Greenberg.
“Unless Komatireddy can find a way to get more known to likely voters in the next few weeks, it appears that James is in a strong position heading into the home stretch of the campaign,” Siena pollster Steve Greenberg said.
James, the state AG since 2019, is seeking a third term. She previously served as New York City public advocate and a Brooklyn councilwoman.
Komatireddy is running an aggressive campaign and connecting with families of crime victims.
Migdalia Martinez, a grieving Bronx mom whose 12-year-old son Jacob was killed by a stray bullet in July, endorsed Komatireddy in a new ad.
The AG-hopeful also held a press conference Tuesday outside the Intrepid Museum, where she vowed to crack down on homeless encampments and get the mentally ill off the streets.
As a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn’s Eastern District of New York, Komatireddy handled some of the most high-profile cases involving international terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and public corruption.
But James remains in the headlines, filing yet another lawsuit against the Trump administration Tuesday for allegedly providing energy companies $1.4 billion in funds to cancel four critical offshore wind projects.
James has garnered nationwide attention for prosecuting Trump and his namesake company for fraudulent practices.
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.
Meanwhile, in the race for state comptroller, Democratic incumbent Tom DiNapoli, in office since 2007, leads Republican challenger Joseph Hernandez 56% to 33%.
The Siena University Poll was conducted September 11-17 among 1,144 likely voters questioned via mobile and landline phones and text. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
