Lee Kindlon reacts to winning Albany County DA Race

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - A new district attorney will be taking over in Albany County for the first time in two decades. Democrat Lee Kindlon beat the incumbent, David Soares and Republican Ralph Ambrosio in Tuesday night's Albany County District Attorney election.

Kindlon came out on top of the high-profile, three-person race for Albany County DA. The candidates discovered their fate late Tuesday night. For Kindlon, he found out about his new position as the new top prosecutor, alongside his family.

"This is the job I’ve wanted for a long time, and I’m really excited about the opportunity to tackle the challenges ahead," Kindlon said. "Last night to be able to celebrate with my wife, my three sons, my mother and father, stepmother, brothers, sisters, and my extended family, it was a really special moment for all of us.”

Kindlon won with 65% of the vote. Kindlon defeated Soares, who only received 3%. Soares lost the democratic primary and opted to run as a write in candidate in the race. Soares shared parting words with supporters after serving as DA for 20 years.

“To my supporters in the people who came out and voted for me and worked real hard, I would ask them to keep that same enthusiasm and that same energy and to support continue supporting the office of the Albany County District Attorney," Soares said. "It is an organization that is comprised of heroes."

Ambrosio, a former New York state trooper and assistant district attorney in Greene and Columbia counties. He had hoped to help Republicans flip the blue seat red last night, but only got 30% of the vote.

“It’s my understanding we got over 90% of the Republican vote out of Bethlehem; we’ve not done that in a long time," Ambrosio said. "We’re building and we’re coming back, and I’m very proud of what we’ve done.”

Kindlon said he plans to have a smooth transition into the DA office and wants to show those who did not vote for him that he will do what he thinks is right by the county.

“I know how important it is for my administration to earn the trust and respect of all the voters out there and to make sure that they know I’m on their side,” Kindlon said.

Kindlon said he does expect challenges, but that he is ready to take them on.

“The county budget, I mean, there are 90 employees and $12 million," Kindlon said. "So dealing with the intricacies of the county budget, I’m certainly going to lean on some people on the office to make sure that my employees are taken care of, the tax dollars are being spent wisely, and we’re using the resources in office in a responsible way.”

Kindlon said Ambrosio called him to concede last night but that he hasn’t heard from Soares since the primaries.

“I have not heard from DA Soares," Kindlon said. "He hasn’t called; he hasn’t conceited to me. But I sent him a letter, and I said, 'Hey, look, I hope we can work together to make sure the office continues to move forward'."