of Albany County before the deadline to file expired. However, since there was still time left for independent candidates to file, Roger Cusick, a Republican, who had opposed DA Soares in 2004 and lost, declared himself as an independent candidate on August 18, one day before the deadline to file as an independent candidate would have expired. Cusick was able to get enough signatures to put himself in the ballot list. He once again opposed DA Soares in the November 2008 election. In November 2008, Soares won re-election by a landslide, 73% to 27%, with a 50,000 vote margin. November 2008 election for district attorney P. David Soares (D), 80,441 votes, or 73% Roger J. Cusick (I), 29,128 votes, or 27% After a canvass, including the counting of all absentee ballots, the vote was 75,857 for Soares on the Democratic line, 6,548 on the Independence Party line, and 4,882 on the Working Families Party line, for a total of 87,287. Cusick received 31,996 votes, and there were 24 "scattered" and "void", or write-in votes. There were 29,526 blank votes. 2012 re-election campaign Attorney Lee Kindlon announced his plans to challenge Soares in a Democratic Party primary in 2012. Soares was endorsed for re-election by the Albany Times Union. Soares won the primary on September 13, 2012, by an unofficial count of 14,498 to 10,1432. Political career plans There was speculation in early 2007 in the local and national media that Soares might run for re-election as District Attorney, or for higher office, in 2008. Soares was featured in Vibe Magazine, in which interview he discussed his goals and hopes for his career. On October 26, 2007, Soares was mentioned in the largest local daily newspaper as a possible replacement for Congressman Mike McNulty in the 2008 race for Congress in the 21st congressional district of New York. However, Soares opted to run for re-election in 2008 instead. Political criticism Soares has faced some criticism. His drug policy reform position has been disputed by at least one defense lawyer, while some members of Albany police and others consider Soares as "soft" on drug crimes. He has been criticized for his prosecution of defendants from Florida for selling steroids to residents of Albany County. Some feel the criticism is politically motivated, and his supporters and independent pundits applaud Soares's progressive approach to criminal prosecution in Albany County. In an editorial, the Times