Sandra Doorley, the incumbent Monroe County, New York district attorney running as a Republican, crushed her George Soros-backed challenger Shani Curry Mitchell on Tuesday night.
Soros, a Hungarian billionaire and the foremost Democratic megadonor, dumped more than $800,000 against Doorley via one of his political action committees (PACs), starting in early October.
“State BOE (Board of Elections) records show the New York Justice & Public Safety PAC responsible for more than $800,000 worth of television and digital advertisements opposing incumbent Republican DA Sandra Doorley or supporting her challenger Shani Curry Mitchell. Soros is listed as the sole donor for what’s technically classified as an Independent Expenditure Committee in New York,” reported Spectrum News, on October 22.
The massive cash influx was given some perspective by local radio host Bob Lonsberry weeks before the race: “If you took all the money Democratic Monroe County executive candidate Adam Bello has spent on his campaign, and added all the money Republican incumbent Cheryl DiNolfo has spent, and added in Bello’s money again, you’d have just about as much money as George Soros has spent trying to get Shani Curry Mitchell elected district attorney,” Lonsberry outlined in a column for News Radio Wham 1180, noting that Soros is looking to “decriminalize crime.”
Still, Doorley pulled out a big win over Mitchell, so much, in fact, that USA Today reporter Jon Campbell deemed the Soros money-dump a complete backfire.
“The $800K of Soros-funded ads appear to have backfired in the Monroe County DA race,” Campbell wrote via Twitter on Tuesday night. “Incumbent Sandra Doorley, a Republican, is cruising with more than half of precincts reporting … and I mean REALLY backfired. Compare the early DA results to the Monroe County exec race, where the Democrat (Adam Bello) has a very slim lead.”
During her victory speech, Doorley made it a point to “thank” Mr. Soros for her win.
“The Republican Party in Monroe Country is not dead, and we are alive and well,” said the DA. “And look at all the great people, here. We still have the energy and we will be back. And I am back for another four more years, so, thank you, George Soros!”
