Rice tops Dillon in upset

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Democrat Kathleen Rice became Long Island's first female district attorney last night defeating GOP icon and 30-year incumbent Denis Dillon.
Kathleen Rice defeats Dennis Dillon for Nassau DA in a night that belonged to Democrats.
"Thank you, Nassau County. I am and forever will be humbled and honored by the trust you have shown in me," Rice said in her acceptance speech at a Democratic victory party at the Marriott in Uniondale. "And I vow here that ours is a relationship that I will never take for granted."

Rice also said she was helped by the popularity of incumbent county executive Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat, and the tone set early in her campaign. "I'm incredibly proud of the campaign we ran. From the very beginning I had a very positive message of hope, asking people to vote for me because I'm a modern prosecutor qualified to deal with the problems we are facing in Nassau County."

Friends and co-workers describe Rice as hard working and aggressive. She tried 21 murder cases in one year while working in the Brooklyn district attorney's office. Prior to announcing her first bid for public office, Rice spent more than five years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia pursuing white-collar crimes, drug and gun cases and public corruption.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-nada1109,0,3084872.story