Democratic candidate for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks to the press after casting his ballot in the New York City election in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., November 2, 2021. Photo by Mike Segar/REUTERS

Alvin Bragg elected as Manhattan’s first Black district attorney

Politics

NEW YORK — Alvin Bragg has been elected Manhattan's first Black district attorney.

The 48-year-old Democrat easily defeated Republican Thomas Kenniff on Tuesday to join a wave of progressive, reform-minded prosecutors in several big U.S cities.

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When Bragg takes office in January, he'll inherit an ongoing investigation of former President Donald Trump. Manhattan prosecutors this year charged Trump's company and its longtime finance chief with tax fraud.

Bragg campaigned partly on a promise to change the culture of the district attorney's office. He said he wants to "shrink the system" and look for alternatives to prosecuting small "crimes of poverty."

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Alvin Bragg elected as Manhattan’s first Black district attorney first appeared on the PBS News website.

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