Westchester's District Attorney Takes Beating In Primary After Revelations Of Secret Police Tapes

The Democratic primary for the district attorney's seat in Westchester County was supposed to be tight. But the tally from in-person voting so far suggests the incumbent is in serious trouble.

As of Wednesday morning, Mimi Rocah has taken home over 60% of the machine votes in her primary challenge against sitting DA Anthony Scarpino. Though mail-in ballots still need to be counted, she believes the national cry for police reform explains her strong performance

"This is bigger than me. This is about the movement in this country, in the county for reform in the criminal justice arena," Rocah said.

Earlier this month WNYC aired recordings made by a whistleblower cop in Mount Vernon, which had earlier been given to Scarpino's office. They contained allegations of police framing and brutalizing innocent residents. Rocah made them a campaign issue and criticized the DA's office for being slow to investigate.

In a statement, a Scarpino campaign spokesman cautioned that there are still tens of thousands of absentee ballots to be counted. The final results are not expected for several weeks, but the party's eventual nominee will have a significant advantage in November's general election. In Westchester County, registered Democrats now outnumber Republicans almost two to one.