Attorney General Letitia James is up for re-election, facing a challenge from Republican and Conservative party candidate Michael Henry.

While James is expected to win handily, Henry is the better candidate — and the reasons have nothing to do with James’ obsession with former President Donald Trump.

James has one major feather in her cap. That came last year when she issued reports on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes and allegations of sexual harassment against the former governor. But it’s hard to tell if those reports were driven by a desire to serve the public or herself, given that she was in the midst of launching a primary challenge at Cuomo.

In multiple instances she has defended the state’s encroachment into other branches’ oversight of state law.

She has supported the state’s hastily crafted conceal carry gun laws, even doubling down on those laws after a federal judge ruled they violate the U.S. Constitution. She has opposed in court not only Sen. George Borrello’s lawsuit seeking to rule unconstitutional the state’s closed door efforts to impose new quarantine and isolation rules for infectious disease, but also tried to keep Assemblyman Andrew Goodell from even weighing in on the case as a friend of the court seeking to explain how the closed-door process usurped the authority of legislators — including Democrats who had previously turned away the very proposal the state Health Department was trying to implement.

And she’s appealing a state Supreme Court justice’s ruling that actions taken in 2021 that take away the state Supreme Court’s authority to oversee absentee ballot disputes doesn’t violate the state constitution. It’s also, in our opinion, just another instance of Democrats in the state Legislature grabbing power for themselves at the expense of the courts, who serve as a valuable check and balance on the electoral system.

But most importantly is her failure as the chief law enforcement officer in the state. James has done little to help deal with rising crime. Earlier this year she said legislators shouldn’t overreact to spikes in crime by tightening bail without credible data.

She reversed that stance about a week ago, telling television station WGRZ in Buffalo that the state should address a wide range of issues, including bail reform.

In our opinion, if the state is going to craft new policies to address crime, James must not be at the table. The last four years have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that a new voice is needed when it comes to crime and legal advice in New York state.

Letitia James is the better known candidate for attorney general. In our view, Michael Henry is the best candidate.