Albany County District Attorney David Soares, coming off a Democratic primary election loss last month, will mount a write-in campaign for the general election.

Soares, who has been DA for 20 years, lost the June Democratic primary election to Lee Kindlon. Ralph Ambrosio is running on the Republican line in the general election.

In a statement Wednesday, Albany County Democratic leaders, including outgoing Sen. Neil Breslin, Assemblymembers Pat Fahy, Phil Steck and John McDonald and Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, voiced opposition to Soares' write-in campaign.

"Any attempt at a write-in campaign is a futile effort that is only meant to distract," said Albany County Democratic Party Chair Jake Crawford. "I call on DA Soares to immediately stop this charade and accept the results of last month’s Democratic Primary."

Kindlon had criticized Soares for giving himself a more than $22,000 bonus with grant money meant for staff retention. Kindlon said the episode inspired him to run. Soares said no laws were broken and he returned the money.

Soares became an outspoken critic of some of the party's criminal justice reforms during the election cycle, blaming what he called a broken criminal justice system made worse by bail reform and state lawmakers in Albany. He said the "Raise the Age" law lacks consequences and changes were needed at the state level. 

Kindlon called Soares' criticism of bail reform "misguided fearmongering."