Progressive Democrats were alarmed by the defeat of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon in the recent election, as he shared their values and was backed by national Democrats such as Vice President Kamala Harris and progressive donor George Soros. Gascon took office four years ago but lost his bid for re-election to former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman. Gascon made headlines during his time in office by recommending that Lyle and Erik Menendez be resentenced to life with the possibility of parole rather than their current sentence of life without parole. Hochman criticized Gascon’s opposition to the death penalty and positioned himself as tough on crime during the election campaign.
Hochman’s win has been seen as a significant change by political experts, signaling a shift in prosecutorial style and criminal justice approaches for the future in Los Angeles County, California. The defeat of Gascon was seen as a clear statement by the majority of citizens that a change in both the prosecutor and the approach was necessary. Hochman expressed a commitment to representing all the people of Los Angeles County, regardless of whether they voted for him or not, as their safety would be his responsibility. The defeat of Gascon in Los Angeles was not an isolated case, as other Democratic candidates also lost in some prosecutor races across the country.
In Macomb County, Michigan, Democratic candidate Christina Hines lost the prosecutor election to Republican Peter Lucido, who won another term in office. Similarly, Steve Howe, the district attorney in Johnson County, Kansas, won a fifth term in office, defeating Democrat Vanessa Riebli. However, there were also favorable outcomes for some Democratic candidates in other prosecutor races. Monique Worrell, a Democratic prosecutor, won back her position as the 9th circuit state attorney in Florida with 57 percent of the vote after being suspended by the state’s governor the previous year.
Travis County, Texas, District Attorney Jose Garza also won a second term against his Republican challenger, Austin criminal defense attorney Daniel Betts, while Karen McDonald was re-elected as the prosecutor in Oakland County, Michigan, beating the Republican candidate for the role. At the federal level, Republican candidate Donald Trump was declared the winner of the presidential election, and Republicans were projected to win control of the Senate. These election results indicate a complex political landscape with victories and losses for both parties in various races across the country.
Overall, the defeat of progressive Democrats like Gascon in some prosecutor races has raised concerns among those who share their values. The shift in prosecutorial style and criminal justice approaches following these elections could have significant implications for the future of law enforcement and criminal justice in the United States. Gascon’s loss in the Los Angeles district attorney election is just one example of the broader political changes taking place across the country, with Democrats experiencing both victories and defeats in prosecutor races in different states.
