D.A. prosecuting athletes at Duke hangs on to job
DURHAM, N.C. — The prosecutor in the Duke University lacrosse rape case defeated two rivals to retain his job as district attorney here, in what the Durham Herald-Sun has called “the D.A. race of the century.”
With 95% of precincts reporting, Dist. Atty. Mike Nifong, a Democrat, had 49% of the vote versus 39% for County Commissioner Lewis Cheek and 12% for county GOP Chairman Steve Monks.
Nifong, 56, provoked controversy with his prosecution of three white athletes charged with raping an African American woman who had been hired as a stripper at an off-campus party in March. Nifong called the athletes “hooligans” protected by expensive lawyers and a “blue wall of silence” at the university, whose team colors are blue and white.
Defense lawyers have raised doubts about the accuser’s version of events in the case, which is scheduled for trial next spring.
Nifong, who has worked for the district attorney’s office since 1978, faced what amounted to a recall movement. Both opponents cited Nifong’s handling of the Duke case as their reason for running, and both raised more campaign money.
Cheek, a Democrat who ran as an unaffiliated candidate, said he would not serve if elected. Monks was a write-in candidate.
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