Keith Wofford

Keith H. Wofford (born January 25, 1969) is an American attorney. He was a candidate in the 2018 New York Attorney General Election, running on the Republican and Conservative ballot lines. Wofford was the first African-American Republican nominee for the office of attorney general. He earned 35.2% of the vote, losing to then-New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, who received 62.4% of the vote.

Keith Wofford
Personal details
Born (1969-01-25) January 25, 1969
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMarla Wofford
Children2
EducationHarvard University (BA, JD)

Early life and education

Wofford grew up in the Buffalo, New York area as one of two sons. His father, John, worked at a Chevrolet plant, and his mother, Ruby, worked two retail jobs.[1] At 17, he attended Harvard University on a scholarship and graduated from Harvard Law School.[2][3]

Career

For many years, Wofford served as a corporate bankruptcy lawyer for the firm Ropes & Gray.[4]

On May 22, 2018, Wofford announced that he would be seeking the Republican nomination for Attorney General of New York in 2018. He stated that addressing political corruption in state government was his top priority.[5] Wofford was the first African-American Republican nominee for attorney general, and was considered an underdog.[6] He campaigned on his outsider status.[7] Leading up to the election, Letitia James was heavily favored to win.[8] Wofford was endorsed by U.S. Representative Pete King, The Buffalo News, The Citizen, The Daily Gazette, Jewish Voice, New York Post, The Post Star, and Watertown Daily Times.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

Wofford received 2,108,600 votes, finishing behind James, who earned 3,739,239 votes, and ahead of candidates from the Green, Libertarian, and Reform parties.[16]

On October 13, 2020, Wofford was elected to the board of trustees for the New-York Historical Society.[2]

In late 2020, Wofford was hired by the law firm White & Case.[17]

Personal life

Keith and his wife, Marla, have two children.[3]

Electoral history
New York Attorney General election, 2018[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Letitia James 3,497,213 58.38% +12.89%
Working Families Letitia James 152,350 2.54% -1.79%
Independence Letitia James 89,676 1.50% -1.33%
Total Letitia James 3,739,239 62.42% +9.77%
Republican Keith Wofford 1,851,510 30.91% -1.68%
Conservative Keith Wofford 257,090 4.29% -2.31%
Total Keith Wofford 2,108,600 35.20% -4.24%
Green Michael Sussman 72,512 1.21% -0.85%
Libertarian Christopher Garvey 43,767 0.73% +0.10%
Reform Nancy Sliwa 26,441 0.44% N/A
Total votes 5,990,559 100.0% N/A
Democratic hold

References
  1. Abreu, Annie. "Running for Attorney General, Wofford Promises to Step Up Fighting Corruption, Step Back Fighting Wall Street". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  2. "New-York Historical Society | KEITH H. WOFFORD ELECTED TO NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES". www.nyhistory.org. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  3. Mays, Jeffery C. (2018-10-12). "Can a Black Republican Who Voted for Trump Be New York's Next Attorney General?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  4. Debtwire. "From Inside Man To 'Outsider': How One Restructuring Attorney Aims To Nab New York's Top Cop Post". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  5. robert.harding@lee.net, Robert Harding (23 May 2018). "Keith Wofford, NYC lawyer and Buffalo native, eyes GOP nod for attorney general". Auburn Citizen. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  6. Avila, Joseph De (2018-05-24). "New York Republicans Nominate Keith Wofford for State Attorney General". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  7. KENMORE, ABRAHAM (10 September 2018). "Attorney general hopeful pitches plan". NNY360. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  8. Gormley, James; editor, Gazette (5 October 2018). "By the numbers: James Leads Wofford 50-36 percent in race for attorney general – The Legislative Gazette". Retrieved 2021-08-18. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  9. Board, News Editorial (28 October 2018). "Editorial: Wofford for attorney general". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  10. Board, The Citizen Editorial (3 November 2018). "Our view: New Yorkers can trust DiNapoli, Wofford, Gillibrand". Auburn Citizen. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  11. "Gazette Endorsement: Wofford will be a force as AG | The Daily Gazette". dailygazette.com. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  12. ""A Voter Guide to the Midterm Elections – Endorsements from the Jewish Voice"". Archived from the original on 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  13. Board, Post Editorial (2018-10-30). "New York should elect Wofford to tackle corruption". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  14. "Endorsement: Keith Wofford is the best choice for attorney general". Glens Falls Post-Star. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  15. "Other statewide races". NNY360. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  16. "Certified Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election for Attorney General" (PDF).
  17. "White & Case Restructuring Team Grows With Ropes & Gray Duo (1)". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  18. https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2018/general/2018Comptroller.pdf
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