Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders-backed candidate Tiffany Cabán declares victory in contested Queens DA race

Progressive candidate Tiffany Cabán has declared victory in the Queens district attorney’s battle, though the race remains too close to call.

Cabán, who has been endorsed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as well as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), is holding a slim lead in the race with 99 percent of precincts reporting.

The career public defender leads Queens borough president Melinda Katz by 1.3 percentage points, or 1,090 votes, according to The New York Times. Cabán declared victory around 11 p.m. Tuesday night, though Katz has not conceded.{mosads}

In the seven-candidate race, Cabán thus far has received 39.6 percent of the vote, compared Katz’s 38.3 percent.

About 3,400 absentee votes have yet to be counted, and election officials have said that could take until Wednesday, July 3.

Cabán ran on a criminal justice reform platform that included calling for the closure of the Rikers Island prison, getting rid of cash bail and decriminalizing prostitution. 

“Transforming this system will not be easy, and it will not happen overnight. But I am ready. We are ready,” she tweeted late Wednesday. 

Transforming this system will not be easy, and it will not happen overnight. But I am ready. We are ready.

— Tiffany Cabán (@CabanForQueens) June 26, 2019