Ken Thompson, the lawyer who represented the sexual assault accuser of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, appears to be quickly moving forward with his campaign against incumbent Brooklyn District Attorney Joe Hynes. Last week, Capital New York reported Mr. Thompson was “considering” the move, and today, he registered a campaign committee that will serve as a fundraising vehicle for the run.
Taking on Mr. Hynes, who’s been close with the county’s Democratic establishment for some time, won’t necessarily be an easy task. But the incumbent has recently faced harsh criticism for his handling of sexual abuse cases in the borough’s Orthodox Jewish community and his friendship with scandal-scarred Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
Of course, criticism can also be leveled at Mr. Thompson’s high-profile legel efforts against Mr. Strauss-Kahn, the former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, which did not exactly go as planned.
Nevertheless, Mr. Thompson, who is politically connected to a number of Brooklyn elected officials, including soon-to-be Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, could give Mr. Hynes a run for his money. With high turnout thanks to the 2013 mayoral primary, Mr. Thompson should perform well if he can consolidate support among the borough’s large number of African-American voters, for example.
Abe George, a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, is also in the race.
