Ken Thompson (Photo: Facebook)

Last night, the Kings County Conservative Party backed their borough's district attorney, Joe Hynes, for re-election and, citing his safety record, they formally offered him their ballot line come November. Although Mr. Hynes has been endorsed by the Conservatives for years, at least one of his Democratic primary rivals, Ken Thompson, was outraged by the bipartisan embrace and released a statement detailing his disgust.

"It is appalling that DA Hynes would accept the endorsement of a fringe right-wing group which opposes a woman's right to choose, gun control and a minimum wage increase, supports the racial profiling of suspects, and sought to remove President Obama from office," Mr. Thompson said this morning.

He went on to outline many of the Conservative Party's positions listed in its "2013 Legislative Program,"  including support for profiling, stop-and-frisk and gun rights, as well as opposition to abortion, minimum wage and gay marriage. "That is not what Democrats are about—and it is radically out of step with Brooklyn," Mr. Thompson argued.

For their part, both the Conservatives and Mr. Hynes' statements focused on his accomplishments in reducing crime rather than outlining a specific policy agenda.

"We are pleased to recognize his hard work with the Conservative Party endorsement,” Conservative Chair Jerry Kassar said, while Mr. Hynes added, “I am enormously honored by the Conservative Party’s recognition of my office’s role in making Brooklyn streets safer. I am very proud of our record and gratified by the Party’s endorsement.”

Another Democrat, Abe George, is also running against Mr. Hynes this year.

Update (2:55 p.m.):  Mr. George has now piled on.

 “Brooklyn Democrats want a District Attorney who reflects their values,” he said in a statement. “Charles Hynes says he is a progressive Democrat, yet he is ‘honored’ by the support of a party that opposes gun control and marriage equality and supports racial profiling. As District Attorney, I will fight crime, protect civil liberties, and help move Brooklyn forward, not backwards.”

Councilman Lew Fidler at the podium.

Kings County District Attorney Hynes has been battered by negative headlines in recent months, but a large host of elected officials and a packed crowd still stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him today for the formal announcement of his re-election campaign on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall.

"Joe, this is more than a political rally, this is a love-fest. It's really a love-fest between the residents of Brooklyn and you!" Borough President Marty Markowitz declared. "I hereby endorse this year of course, 2013, and 2017! And 2021!"

Whether or not Mr. Hynes makes it to 2021's election cycle remains to be seen, of course, but he certainly has a more difficult road ahead of him than he did in his last election where he ran unopposed. Mr. Hynes, currently serving his sixth term in office, faces two challengers this time around, Ken Thompson and Abe George, who both reported raising solid amounts of campaign funds in the latest filing.

Mr. Thompson, an African-American attorney who's been accumulating cash at the quickest clip, undoubtedly hopes to do well, particularly among Brooklyn's sizable black electorate. But Mr. Hynes' event today was clearly meant to be a show of force in that regard with a multiracial cast of elected officials, clergy and supporters heaping praise upon the incumbent. Additionally, late last night, Mr. Hynes' campaign rolled out the endorsement of the city's only African-American mayor.

Jonathan Yedin, a consultant at the Advance Group working on the Hynes campaign, directly pointed to Mr. Hynes' "diverse and expansive coalition" as evidence of his strength.

"D.A. Hynes' career has been defined by his commitment to improving the quality of life of all Brooklynites," he told Politicker. "As shown by the overwhelming display at today's announcement, D.A. Hynes' distinguished record of service to communities across Brooklyn has afforded him a diverse and expansive coalition of support for his many innovations to the way law enforcement is handled in Brooklyn."

For his part, Mr. Hynes also pointed to the crowd's diversity while reading a speech laden with statistics touting crime reduction and a host of initiatives he's launched during his tenure. He finished by citing a desire to accomplish more as the raison d'être for his campaign.

"I was privileged to become district attorney of this county in 1990. We were in the midst of a crack cocaine-driven crime wave," he said. "There was 765 murders in 1990. There was 792 murders in 1991. One out of every fifteen Brooklynites was the victim of a serious crime. Not only was Brooklyn prepared to be the murder capital of the world, we were beginning to feel we were the crime capital of the world. Last year, we recorded 149 murders, the lowest number since 1960. ... But we're not done, not by a long-shot. That's why I come here today to formally announce my candidacy for reelection."

(Photo: Getty)

Earlier today, Abe George, a former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office and a candidate next year against incumbent Brooklyn D.A. Joe Hynes announced one of his key campaign platforms will be relaxing penalties for marijuana possession.

"As a career prosecutor who spent considerable time investigating and prosecuting drug crimes, I have seen first hand how valuable resources have been wasted enforcing antiquated marijuana laws rather than fighting crimes that directly impact the public good," Mr. George said in a statement that also noted anti-marijuana laws' disproportionate effect on young minorities. "Brooklyn, which has long led the city in homicides and shootings, cannot wait until the New York State Legislature acts at some unknown time to finally decriminalize marijuana possession."

Mr. George went on to say he would prosecute marijuana under 25 grams in public view "solely as violations, and not as crimes." He added that individuals who can provide "a legitimate medicinal purpose" will also avoid prosecution. Currently, marijuana possession is already a violation but it carries the weight of a misdemeanor when the pot is in public view, a technicality that has led to arrests when those stopped by the police are forced to empty their pockets.

As alluded to in Mr. George's statement, when Albany last attempted to reform the the state's marijuana laws Republicans balked and the Legislature came to an impasse. At one point, GOP Majority Leader Dean Skelos explained his opposition by stating, “Just being able to walk around with 10 joints in each ear and it would only be a violation—I think that’s wrong.”

Mr. George concluded his relatively pro-pot argument by noting his time would be better spent enforcing other laws.

"There are bigger problems in Brooklyn where our resources could be better spent, such as battling gun violence, stemming the rising tide of cybercrime and identity theft, and restoring integrity to the criminal justice system by ensuring that those convicted are actually guilty," he said.

Joining Mr. George and Mr. Hynes in the district attorney race is Ken Thompson, the lawyer who represented the sexual assault accuser of Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Ken Thompson (Photo: Facebook)

Ken Thompson, the lawyer who represented the sexual assault accuser of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, appears to be quickly moving forward with his campaign against incumbent Brooklyn District Attorney Joe Hynes. Last week, Capital New York reported Mr. Thompson was "considering" the move, and today, he registered a campaign committee that will serve as a fundraising vehicle for the run.

Taking on Mr. Hynes, who's been close with the county's Democratic establishment for some time, won't necessarily be an easy task. But the incumbent has recently faced harsh criticism for his handling of sexual abuse cases in the borough's Orthodox Jewish community and his friendship with scandal-scarred Assemblyman Vito Lopez.

Of course, criticism can also be leveled at Mr. Thompson's high-profile legel efforts against Mr. Strauss-Kahn, the former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, which did not exactly go as planned.

Nevertheless, Mr. Thompson, who is politically connected to a number of Brooklyn elected officials, including soon-to-be Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, could give Mr. Hynes a run for his money. With high turnout thanks to the 2013 mayoral primary, Mr. Thompson should perform well if he can consolidate support among the borough's large number of African-American voters, for example.

Abe George, a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, is also in the race.