Democrat Scarpino Elected Westchester District Attorney
By Andrew Vitelli
Anthony Scarpino was overwhelmingly elected Westchester County District Attorney, defeating former prosecutor Bruce Bendish Tuesday night.
“It’s a great celebration, and tonight is a night for celebration,” Scarpino said at his campaign headquarters at The Coliseum in White Plains. “But tomorrow we have to start getting to work on doing the things that the district attorney’s office does.”
Late Tuesday night with 63 percent of districts reporting, Scarpino captured 70 percent of the vote to hold a commanding lead, 150,327-65,437.
“I am very, very gratified that the voters felt very comfortable with my credentials,” said Scarpino, a 20-year North Castle resident. “I am looking forward to focusing on the important issues that we have to focus on.”
In the race for the open seat, Bendish, a Republican who served as an assistant district attorney from 1973 to 1987 before becoming a criminal defense attorney, focused on combatting the drug epidemic and questioned his opponent’s readiness for the office, making his campaign motto “Experience Matters.”
Scarpino, currently a partner at the law firm of DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr in White Plains and previously a county court and state Supreme Court judge, countered that his experience as a judge suited him for the complexity of the office.
The seat was up for a special election after Janet DiFiore, who had held the seat since 2006, was appointed chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals in January. James McCarty, who has been serving as acting district attorney, did not run for the seat.
For Bendish, the race was an uphill battle, as Republicans have typically struggled in Westchester during recent presidential election years. Scarpino slightly outperformed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who was ahead with 64 percent of the vote in the county as of press time.
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