A 36-year-old crypto lawyer is running for state attorney general, seeking the Republican nomination to topple Democratic incumbent Letitia James.
“Letitia James has been a professional politician for over twenty years and throughout her career she has consistently put her own political interests ahead of New Yorkers,” Khurram Dara said.
“I’m running for New York State Attorney General because the people of New York deserve an AG that puts New Yorkers first, not one consumed by her own political ambitions.”
Dara most recently led regulatory and policy at Bain Capital Crypto, the firm’s dedicated crypto venture fund.
He would have to face off in a primary against Republican Michael Henry, the 2022 GOP candidate for comptroller who has remained deeply connected with GOP officials across the state.
Dara pledges to end lawfare — when prosecutors use legal tactics for political ends — fairly enforce the law and create a better business climate to help fight the affordability crisis.
He claims James is anti-business.
“The evolution of state AGs into regulators and policymakers has been costly in more ways than one – and nowhere has that been more apparent than in New York. Not only did it set the stage for Letitia James’ partisan lawfare, it has also increased the cost of doing business – leading to higher prices at a time when New Yorkers face a crippling affordability crisis,” he said.
“Letitia James has not earned another term. New York needs an Attorney General that will enforce the law, not politicize it. That’s why I am running.”
The Trump Justice Department indicted James for alleged bank mortgage fraud concerning residential properties she owns in Virginia. She denies the charges.
James, 67, seeking a third-term, has brought cases against Trump, the National Rifle Association, as well as an investigation into sexual misconduct accusations that forced the resignation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
She has also sued leading crypto currency firms.
Dara is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the advisory board of the Investor Choice Advocates Network, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting regulatory overreach and expanding access to the capital markets to small investors and entrepreneurs.
He grew up in the Town of Amherst near Buffalo.
Dara earned his bachelor’s degree from Emory University and his J.D. from Columbia U. Law School. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Shari.
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