Now a Democratic candidate for district attorney, the 53-year-old former first assistant district attorney still has the fighter's mentality — charismatic, calculated, and secretive when it comes to strategy. In a primary race where his six opponents are focused on reform, he is pulling no punches when it comes to the most self-evident distinction. He is the only candidate who is black. And that's not insignificant in a city where 44 percent of the population is, too.