Albany County District Attorney David Soares formally launched his bid to win a sixth term – through a write-in campaign.

Soares lost the Democratic primary to defense attorney Lee Kindlon, who received 55% of the vote in the June 25 primary. 

“Many people have asked why I am seeking reelection and the only thing I can say is when your city is burning down, you do not hire the arsonist to be your fire chief,” Soares said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Soares has criticized Raise the Age and bail reform – policies which he said have exacerbated the crime problem.

Soares said the people of Albany County will have the final say.

“The party bosses have written me off, but the people of Albany County are going to write me in,” he said.

Soares came under fire for giving himself a raise of over $20,000 using grant funds. He later returned the money.

Kindlon’s campaign issued a statement in response to Soares’ bid featuring party leaders and elected officials.

Albany County Democratic Party Chairman Jake Crawford said the Democratic voters chose Kindlon and he called on Soares to “stop this charade” and accept the results.

Democratic lawmakers weighed in a joint press release.

State Assemblymember John McDonald said: “I’ve worked with David for 20 years. He’s not the person he was – immersed in the community and building partnerships – which is disappointing. It is clear we need new leadership in the District Attorney’s office and Lee’s background and experience is best suited to protect Albany County residents, build partnerships and move our fight to bring justice to bear forward.”

State Assemblymember Phil Steck said: “David Soares paid more attention to public relations than prosecution. The voters in the Democratic primary rejected that approach. They want an active prosecuting attorney. Why would voters want to write in the name of a candidate who cannot fulfill that role? Lee Kindlon has all the skill and experience to be a great District Attorney.”

Republican candidate Ralph Ambrosio also weighed in on the announcement.

“David Soares has been in office for 20 years and it has gotten progressively worse each year. For many years David was an advocate for the policies that have done so much damage. We don’t currently have a functioning criminal justice system in Albany, and everyone has to own some of that failure, including David and our legislators,” he said in a statement.

Ambrosio is a former state police trooper, assistant district attorney in Columbia and Greene counties and assistant attorney general. He also criticized Kindlon.

“He is a lifelong defense attorney and disciple of many of the ‘reform’ policies that have done so much harm to our local communities.”