LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 One of the country鈥檚 most progressive prosecutors, George Gasc贸n, has advanced to a runoff in his reelection bid for Los Angeles County鈥檚 district attorney, surviving a primary race that pit him against 11 challengers.
Gasc贸n will compete in November against the second highest vote-getter from Tuesday鈥檚 primary in the race to lead an agency that prosecutes cases in the most populous county in the U.S.
Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor and one-time California who ran as a Republican in 2022, was closely behind Gasc贸n in partial returns.
Hochman has tried to capitalize on voter anger over and homelessness, issues that San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin in a recall election in 2022. In his campaign ads, Hochman, a defense attorney, vowed to change the direction of the district attorney, saying: 鈥淚t鈥檚 time we had a DA who fights for victims, not criminals.鈥
To win the primary outright in California, Gasc贸n needed to get a 50%-plus-one vote. Anything less triggers a runoff race between the top two candidates in November regardless of party.
Political experts said they had expected Gasc贸n to advance from the nonpartisan primary but are less optimistic about his chances in the fall.
The primary set Gasc贸n against opponents who ranged from line prosecutors in his own office to former federal prosecutors to county judges. They sought to blame Gasc贸n and his progressive policies for widespread perceptions the city is unsafe, highlighting shocking footage of a series of at luxury stores. The feeling of being unsafe is so pervasive that even the Los Angeles mayor and police chief said in January that they were working to .
But while property crime increased nearly 3% within the sheriff鈥檚 jurisdiction of Los Angeles County from 2022 to 2023, violent crime decreased almost 1.5% in the same period.
Gasc贸n was elected on a criminal justice reform platform in 2020, in the wake of George Floyd鈥檚 killing by police. He faced a recall attempt within his first 100 days and a second attempt later, which both failed to get on the ballot.
During his first term, Gasc贸n immediately : not seeking the death penalty; not prosecuting juveniles as adults; ending cash bail for misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies; and no longer filing enhancements triggering stiffer sentences for certain elements of crimes, repeat offenses or gang membership.
He was forced to roll back some of his biggest reforms early in his tenure, such as initially ordering the elimination of more than 100 enhancements and elevating a hate crime from misdemeanor to a felony. The move infuriated victims鈥 advocates, and Gasc贸n backpedaled, restoring enhancements in cases involving children, older people and people targeted because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability.
His challengers have pledged to reverse many or nearly all of his most progressive policies, such as his early orders to eliminate filing for sentencing enhancements.
