Key Takeaways
- • Billionaire investor Bill Ackman publicly endorsed Republican Saritha Komatireddy for New York Attorney General on October 31, 2026, posting on X: "Time for a new NYAG. It is time for @sarithaforny!"
- • Komatireddy is challenging incumbent Attorney General Letitia James, who is seeking a third term, in the November 3, 2026 election.
- • Ackman tied his endorsement to the stabbing of a 28-year-old woman training for the New York City Marathon in Brooklyn's Bath Beach section, per police sources cited by the New York Post.
- • Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor and former DEA chief of staff, has proposed dedicating a substantially larger share of the attorney general's roughly 700-lawyer office to criminal enforcement.
Summary
Bill Ackman, founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, is calling for a change in leadership at the New York Attorney General's office following a series of violent crimes across the city. On Saturday, October 31, 2026, Ackman shared a New York Post report on the Brooklyn attack on his X account, writing: "Time for a new NYAG. It is time for @sarithaforny!" The post is a direct endorsement of Saritha Komatireddy, the Republican candidate challenging incumbent Attorney General Letitia James in the Tuesday, November 3 election.
The attack that prompted the post occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Friday, when a 28-year-old woman was jogging along a waterfront bike path in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn, near Bay Parkway and Cropsey Avenue. According to police sources cited by the New York Post, she was stabbed in the neck. Her father found her on the path after she failed to return home. She was taken to NYU Langone Hospital, where police sources told the Post she had been declared brain dead, although other Saturday reports described her condition as critical. The NYPD deployed aviation, canine, scuba and drone units in its search for evidence and the attacker. No suspect had been identified and no arrests had been announced in the latest reports.
Ackman's intervention comes amid broader concern about violent crime and public safety in New York, including the recent sexual assault of a woman at knifepoint in Central Park and the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Bronx student Javits Frimpong. Ackman argues these incidents show New York needs a different approach to law enforcement and criminal prosecution.
Komatireddy is a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York who later became chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration. Her campaign centers on making public safety the primary mission of the attorney general's office, with a focus on prosecuting serious crimes, addressing repeat offenders and supporting local law enforcement. She has criticized James for an insufficient emphasis on criminal prosecution. James, seeking a third term, has defended her record, citing the office's work on illegal guns, consumer protection, financial fraud and major corporate investigations.
Ackman's endorsement carries weight beyond politics given his prominence among business leaders and financial professionals, and his prior public engagement on antisemitism, education, public safety and New York's business climate. The endorsement gives the Republican challenger additional exposure in a race that typically receives less coverage than contests for governor or mayor.
The attack that prompted the post occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Friday, when a 28-year-old woman was jogging along a waterfront bike path in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn, near Bay Parkway and Cropsey Avenue. According to police sources cited by the New York Post, she was stabbed in the neck. Her father found her on the path after she failed to return home. She was taken to NYU Langone Hospital, where police sources told the Post she had been declared brain dead, although other Saturday reports described her condition as critical. The NYPD deployed aviation, canine, scuba and drone units in its search for evidence and the attacker. No suspect had been identified and no arrests had been announced in the latest reports.
Ackman's intervention comes amid broader concern about violent crime and public safety in New York, including the recent sexual assault of a woman at knifepoint in Central Park and the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Bronx student Javits Frimpong. Ackman argues these incidents show New York needs a different approach to law enforcement and criminal prosecution.
Komatireddy is a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York who later became chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration. Her campaign centers on making public safety the primary mission of the attorney general's office, with a focus on prosecuting serious crimes, addressing repeat offenders and supporting local law enforcement. She has criticized James for an insufficient emphasis on criminal prosecution. James, seeking a third term, has defended her record, citing the office's work on illegal guns, consumer protection, financial fraud and major corporate investigations.
Ackman's endorsement carries weight beyond politics given his prominence among business leaders and financial professionals, and his prior public engagement on antisemitism, education, public safety and New York's business climate. The endorsement gives the Republican challenger additional exposure in a race that typically receives less coverage than contests for governor or mayor.
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