In her quest to become the next Queens district attorney, Melinda Katz beat five other Democrats last summer. 

That was the primary. Now, she's up against another Democrat in the November 5 general election, Attorney Joe Murray. 

"I am a Democrat running on the Republican line," Murray said. "The Democratic Party hates me because I'm challenging you and, God forbid, you go against the party. And the Republican Party tolerates me."

Murray, a supporter of President Trump, debated Katz on Inside City Hall this Wednesday. It's his first political campaign. 

Katz, on the other hand, has served in the Assembly and the City Council, and is now Queens borough president. 

"This is a serious office and needs serious leadership. And with over 700 people in the district attorney's office, you need someone who's actually been there and done the talk with the individuals in the community, and ran a multimillion-dollar office to be able to organize it the proper way," she said.

The Democratic primary campaign was dominated by discussion of how to reform the criminal justice system. 

"My idea of criminal justice, my idea of keeping the Queens county safe, is that we institute programs that people don't want to pick up guns, and then we work with the correctional facilities, and we work with probation and we work with all the people that are already in the system, to make sure that those who should be punished should be punished," Katz said.

On the other hand, Murray believes there's too much talk about reform. 

"I am running because I am against this progressive criminal justice reform that's been rammed down our throats by Mayor de Blasio, particularly starting with the closing of Rikers Island," he said.

Katz supports the closing of Rikers, but is not happy with the mayor's plan to build new facilities in every borough, one of them in Kew Gardens. 

"I believe in community jails. It is the common construct of jails all around the country. But as far as the mayor's plan goes, they are too big, and the community was not involved in the initial replacement of those jails," Katz said.

The candidates were also asked whether they support decriminalizing prostitution. 

"I have no interest in decriminalizing sex trade," Murray said.

Katz has a different take. 

"We are not going to arrest people for sex working. We are not going to convict people for sex working. We are going to actually try and get to the sex traffickers and those who are forcing people into this industry," she said.

The district attorney prosecutes violations of state law. 

John Ryan has been the acting Queens DA since the passing of Richard Brown last May.