A week after Queens Borough President Donovan Richards endorsed the re-election campaign of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, two longtime members of Congress have followed suit.
Congresswoman Grace Meng and Congressman Gregory Meeks threw their support behind Katz who is facing a challenge in June’s Democratic primary.
“Melinda Katz is a true advocate for Queens County, and her team in the district attorney’s office has done great work getting guns off our streets and prosecuting dangerous offenders all while making our criminal justice system fairer,” Meng said. “I am proud to endorse Melinda Katz because that leadership has become indispensable to Queens families and I’m excited to continue our work together.”
Meeks is in his 25th year representing southeast Queens in Washington, D.C. He is also the chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party.
“There is only one option for district attorney in Queens and that’s Melinda Katz,” Meeks said. “Over the last three years, we have seen comprehensive leadership that’s made our streets safer and our courtrooms fairer. Keeping our families safe, tackling tough issues, and not being afraid to lead from the front is what Melinda Katz has done and what I know she will continue to do.”
In recent weeks, Katz has gained the support of organized labor unions, including the Uniformed Firefighters Association, the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), 32BJ SEIU, the New York City Building and Construction Trades Council, 1199SEIU and many others. Katz said she is proud to be endorsed by the two Representatives.
“Congressman Meeks and Congresswoman Meng are longtime advocates for the borough of Queens and I’m privileged to fight side by side with them every day. I’m honored to receive their endorsements and alongside these members of Congress, I know that Queens County has a united leadership team that they can continue to count on,” Katz said. “That team has made immense progress over the past three years and has Queens moving in the right direction. With the continued partnership, we will continue to move Queens forward.”
Katz will face challenger George Grasso in the June 27 Democratic primary.
The Douglaston resident retired as an administrative judge at Queens Supreme Court, criminal term, in August 2022 to run for district attorney. Grasso served more than three decades in the NYPD, rising through the ranks to become the first deputy police commissioner before stepping down in 2010 and heading to the bench.
