David Soares, Albany’s high-profile district attorney, is coming to Manhattan in a couple of weeks to raise money for what could be a tough re-election next year.
Soares, a Democrat, “beat the [Democratic] organization in a low turnout election,” said one political insider. “The organization in Albany does have some clout.”
Another source predicted that “local lawyers will be lining up” to take on Soares on the Republican, as well as the Democratic, side.
Soares pulled off an upset in 2004 when he toppled incumbent DA Paul Clyne in the Democratic primary and breezed through the general election.
One Democratic Party contributor here, with no ties to Soares, said he was startled to receive an invitation to his Nov. 27 fund-raiser at the Banc Cafe on East 30th Street, where tickets are going for $250 to $2,500.
“Is he running for attorney general or something?” the contributor wondered.
Aides and allies say Soares is simply committed to seeking a second term. They also say it’s not unusual for candidates to go where the money is – Manhattan.
“If people can come from California to raise money here, he can come from 150 miles,” said one political consultant.
Soares has estimated he’ll need about $500,000 to mount a credible re-election campaign. As of the last filing in July, his treasury held just $35,343.
But he can expect help from both the Working Families Party and affiliates of billionaire George Soros, which both provided considerable resources in 2004 based on Soares’ pledge to battle the strict Rockefeller drug laws.