We have another race in Brooklyn. The unexpected in a series of surprises this summer put the Brooklyn District Attorney race in play, for the first time in decades. Abe George, a former Manhattan prosecutor, announced Thursday evening that he was dropping out of the race.

Speaking to the NY Times, Mr. George he would instead throw his support behind another Democratic challenger, Kenneth P. Thompson, a prominent lawyer in private practice, ensuring a one-on-one matchup with the incumbent and clearing the path for Mr. Thompson to beat Mr. Hynes amid daily negative headlines.

Mr. Hynes, 78, is facing what could be the toughest battle since he became Brooklyn’s top law enforcement official in 1990. He has been on the defensive for many months, facing criticism for a string of wrongful convictions by his office, and for his handling of sexual abuse cases in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

During the campaign, Mr. Hynes didn’t hide his disguise of Mr. George. Though, he was hoping for a 3-way race in order to split the anti-incumbent vote.

“Brooklyn can’t afford another four years of Joe Hynes, and I realize that in order to defeat Joe Hynes I must put Brooklyn ahead of my own ambitions,” Mr. George said in a statement. “Today, I am urging all of my supporters to back Ken Thompson for district attorney because together we can begin to clean up the mess Joe Hynes has created in Brooklyn.”

“Ken is a man of integrity and justice who will fight to end the pattern of wrongful convictions and prosecutorial misconduct that has tainted the D.A.’s office.”

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)