Former longtime District Attorney George Kennedy has endorsed challenger Jeff Rosen in the contentious election for Santa Clara County district attorney — by prominently praising him atop a ballot statement hundreds of thousands of voters will see.
Rosen is hoping that the endorsement from Kennedy, who retired in 2006 after serving 16 years, will provide a much-needed boost to his uphill battle to defeat his boss, District Attorney Dolores Carr.
As the incumbent, Carr has amassed many more endorsements, including from top law enforcement and elected officials, the influential San Jose Police Officers Association and former Santa Clara County District Attorney Leo Himmelsbach.
The ballot statement quotes Kennedy as saying that Deputy District Attorney “Jeff Rosen is extraordinarily qualified. He will restore integrity and return the Office’s focus to justice. Jeff is a leader and I strongly endorse him to be DA.”
Ballot statements appear in voter information packets, which will be mailed out starting in early April to nearly 764,000 voters.
Carr brushed off the endorsement. “George Kennedy’s endorsement is not surprising since he endorsed my opponent last time,” Carr said, referring to Kennedy’s initial support in the 2006 race for Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu, which he ended up withdrawing.
Carr’s ballot statement is more traditional, in keeping with her status as the front-runner. While Rosen promises to “restore integrity and ethics” to the office, Carr cites her experience, accomplishments and endorsements, including 30 years as either a prosecutor or judge, and the support of county Supervisors Don Gage, George Shirakawa and Dave Cortese; state Assembly members Ira Ruskin, Joe Coto and Jim Beall, as well as former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer, among others.
Kennedy explained why he chose Rosen in an e-mail and statement released Friday. He noted he has known both candidates for years and that both of them worked for him as prosecutors.
“Rosen is the only candidate who has personally and successfully tried the most serious cases, such as murders,” Kennedy said. “Rosen has the better legal scholarship and is the only candidate to have attended a prestigious law school. Rosen is the candidate more likely to direct the Office toward selfless public interest and give direct, honest answers about why he has taken specific courses of action.”
Kennedy also criticized Carr, a former Superior Court judge who has been a controversial figure since taking office in 2007. She has been criticized for a potential conflict of interest in a case involving her husband, for intervening on behalf of a campaign contributor’s client, and for not bringing charges against a group of De Anza College baseball players accused of assaulting a drunken 17-year-old girl.
“I have deep feelings about the ethics, integrity and nonpartisan nature of the District Attorney’s Office,” Kennedy said. “Over the last three years, the elected head of that office has been inappropriate in her personal direction with those values.”