Eric Garner, Congressional seat, Daniel Donovan

District Attorney Daniel Donovan, the prosecutor who was responsible for submitting the Eric Garner case to a grand jury, is seeking a Congressional seat which is being vacated by Republican Michael Grimm. After pleading guilty to tax fraud Grimm could be sentenced to up to 3 years in prison and several people are hoping to fill the seat that he leaves behind. As a Republican Daniel Donovan has made his intentions clear, he will be running for the congressional seat and is hoping to win. As a top prosecutor in the New York borough of Staten Island Donovan has already made a name for himself in the local community, and the failure of the grand jury to give an indictment against the police officer accused of a choke hold that caused the death of Eric Garner has gained the attorney national attention as well.

There have been complaints that Daniel Donovan, the prosecutor who handled the Eric Garner case and who is now seeking a congressional seat, did not show enough aggression when he presented the case to the grand jury. Many believe that an indictment would have been handed down if the prosecutor wanted one, and the negative publicity surrounding the Garner case has helped boost the recognition of Daniel Donovan but also made him a very controversial figure. Many civil rights organizations and groups have criticized Donovan as being soft on civil rights violations and police officers. It is too early to tell if Daniel Donovan has a chance of winning the congressional seat he is running for.