US midterms 2026: How 9/11 shaped Saritha Komatireddy’s legal career as she runs for New York attorney general

Saritha Komatireddy is among the Indian-origin candidates contesting the US midterm elections on November 3. A former assistant attorney in the Eastern District of New York, she is the Republican nominee for New York attorney general and will challenge two-time incumbent Letitia James, the Democratic Party nominee.Among her prominent backers is US President Donald Trump, who nominated Komatireddy for a federal judgeship in the Eastern District of New York in May 2020, during his first term in office.Family lifeKomatireddy’s parents immigrated to the United States from what is now Telangana, in southern India, during the 1980s. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she spent part of her childhood in Missouri.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Komatireddy spoke about her father's humble beginnings in India and his decision to immigrate to the United States.“My dad is from a small village in India that had no running water, and he left India when it was a socialist country. He came here for the same reason many New Yorkers’ families come here: work hard, dream big and have a shot at achieving your dreams," she said.How 9/11 changed her lifeAccording to Komatireddy, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City shaped her decision to pursue a career in law, with a focus on prosecuting terrorists and protecting national security.“My first week in college, terrorists attacked New York. 9/11 changed my life. I chose law school to prosecute terrorists, to protect New York and America,” she said in her campaign video.Komatireddy graduated from both Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She began her legal career as a law clerk to Brett Kavanaugh, who was then a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and now serves as an associate justice of the US Supreme Court.Professional careerAccording to her campaign website, Komatireddy spent more than a decade prosecuting cases involving leaders of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Mexican drug cartels. As a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York, she handled high-profile cases involving international terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, fraud and foreign public corruption.From 2023 to 2024, she served as chief of staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under then-President Joe Biden.Komatireddy, a mother of four, is a partner at the law firm Holtzman Vogel and teaches at Columbia University. In February, she secured the Republican nomination for New York attorney general, setting up a challenge to incumbent Letitia James.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.