Whatever bad things – professionally, of course – that could happen to New York Attorney General Letitia James, I’m fully on board for it. The woman literally campaigned on “getting Donald Trump,” then proceeded to do just that after she won. Not hard to do in deep blue New York City, and she obviously knew and understood that going in. But maybe her days in the left-wing limelight are coming to an end. Just maybe.
James is facing a potentially tighter reelection contest than previously indicated, with a new Republican campaign poll showing challenger Saritha Komatireddy trailing the Democratic incumbent by just six percentage points with roughly two weeks remaining before Election Day.
The OnMessage Inc. survey, conducted for Komatireddy’s campaign from October 12 through October 14, found James leading 50.7% to 44.7% among 1,000 likely New York voters, with roughly 4% undecided and a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points. The result represents a substantially narrower margin than the latest independent Siena University poll, conducted September 11 through September 17, which showed James ahead 52% to 39%.
Because the newest survey was commissioned by Komatireddy’s campaign, its findings should be viewed alongside independent polling rather than as definitive evidence that the statewide race has moved by seven points since September.
Still, the internal poll provides encouraging numbers for Republicans in a state where GOP candidates have struggled for years to win statewide office, particularly after Komatireddy’s aggressive October 8 debate performance against James. About one-fifth of respondents said they watched the debate, and among those voters, Komatireddy led James by an overwhelming 81% to 19%, according to the campaign survey.
Among voters who did not watch the debate, however, James retained a commanding 59% to 36% advantage, highlighting the considerable challenge Komatireddy still faces in introducing herself to voters statewide.
Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor making her first run for political office, used the televised debate to attack James’ record on crime, Medicaid fraud and government accountability while repeatedly accusing the incumbent of politicizing the attorney general’s office.
“New Yorkers, you do not have an attorney general right now,” Komatireddy charged during the debate, before accusing James of using taxpayer resources for political purposes.
Name one former New York Attorney General you admire.
Letitia James: ??? https://t.co/ab8SqvPgFZ
— Saritha Komatireddy (@sarithaforny) October 9, 2026
James countered by questioning Komatireddy’s knowledge of the office and repeatedly sought to connect her Republican challenger to President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Komatireddy. Komatireddy pushed back against that line of attack by emphasizing that she served as a federal prosecutor across presidential administrations and saying she would protect New Yorkers regardless of who occupies the White House – you know, the right way to be an attorney general.
The new campaign poll also contains potentially significant movement among independent voters, with Komatireddy leading James 49% to 43% among voters unaffiliated with either major party.
James’ favorability among independents stood at 40% compared with 51% unfavorable in the internal survey, while Komatireddy’s campaign argues those numbers demonstrate an opening beyond the Republican base. Geographically, Komatireddy led James 57% to 41% on Long Island, 54% to 44% in the broader downstate suburbs and 50% to 44% upstate, according to the poll.
James continues to benefit from a large advantage in heavily Democratic New York City, where the survey showed her leading 65% to 30%, a margin that keeps her ahead statewide despite Komatireddy’s strength elsewhere. The Republican challenger also led among men by 53% to 43% and among voters without college degrees by 50% to 45%, according to the campaign’s numbers.
Komatireddy has sought to center the race on the operation of the attorney general’s office, highlighting her experience prosecuting terrorism, cybercrime, money laundering and public-corruption cases while promising greater attention to crime, homelessness and fraud.
During the debate, she also sharply criticized James’ record combating Medicaid fraud, arguing that recoveries and criminal convictions have declined compared with previous administrations, while James defended her overall record and accused her opponent of misunderstanding the office. Obviously Komatireddy ‘misunderstands the office’ — it’s supposed to be used to go after your political opponents, not uphold and prosecute the law.
